Metamorphosis
by rightunderacherrytree
Summary: A story in three arcs. A re-write on the MMPR with more in-depth and 3D characters.    Warnings: Het, Slash, OOC, Character Death, Violence, Strong Language, AU, Collab, Dark, Angst. Please R&R. Reviews are like crack to an author.
1. Arc 1 Ascension: 1 Just the Beginning

Metamorphosis  
Arc 1: Ascension  
Chapter 1:  
"Just the Beginning"

**Disclaimer: the Power Rangers are property of Haim Saban, Fox Kids, and Disney, among others. We have no legal claim to any of the characters written herein. This is a work of fanfiction.**

Patiently waiting for the bell to ring, the students of Angel Grove High began to fidget as the clock ticked itself away to the last minute before dismissal. When that long minute finally passed, the school bell went off, signaling to the students that they were free to go for the day.

Sitting in the back of the class, Jason, a rather muscular teenager, was forced to be patient as other students took their time to pack up their bags. When he was finally able to make his way out of the classroom, Jason swung his backpack easily over his broad shoulder and used his free hand to brush the loose strands of black hair out of his earth-toned eyes. As Jason walked through the hallway to get to his locker, a short and nerdy looking teenage boy in tattered jeans walked up to him.

"Jason," Billy smiled upon seeing his childhood friend, "How are you?"

"Meh, the usual," said Jason, cheerfully.

Together, the two friends walked side by side in the hallway as they always did since they were in elementary. Though, due to his reputation as a martial arts jock, the majority of the school could not figure out why Jason would even bother with a dweeb like Billy. But, Jason just did not care about the social status that came with being part of a sport. No matter what, he never turned his back on Billy.

"You know, the Youth Center is holding another martial arts tournament," Jason brought up, "you interested in going?"

"I-I'm not sure my physical stature would allow me to compete," Billy stuttered nervously, for he had never felt confident enough to join Jason in any of the past tournaments, "a-are you going?"

"Of course," Jason chuckled, "I'm going to be the one who teaches the class this time."

"Congratulations," said Billy sincerely, "I hope your trial as a martial arts educator will prove to be most successful."

"Thanks," Jason grinned, proudly as he approached his locker.

Billy, standing next to Jason, he took the opportunity to take off his glasses to wipe them clean with his Lord of the Rings shirt. As soon as he finished, he placed the glasses back in front of his pale blue eyes. Seconds later, a dark skinned teenage boy, wearing baggy pants and an oversized hood jacket, pushed his way past Billy, bumping into his shoulder.

"Watch it, nerd," the boy said, glaring at Billy with his dark brown eyes.

"Sorry, Zack," Billy said nervously, not wanting to cause any trouble.

"Yeah, whatever," said Zack who continued on to his own locker which was slightly blocked by a rather popular brunette girl who was surrounded by her gossiping friends.

"Move it!" Zack growled as he pushed his way through to get to his locker.

"Dude, what the hell?" said the girl, turning to face him, her hazel eyes looking angrily into his dark brown ones, "Didn't they teach you any respect when you lived in Oakland?"

"Bitch, I ain't gotta respect you!" Zack spat, as the popular girl's friends stared at him.

Noticing trouble, Jason decided to break up the argument, "hey guys, what's up?"

"These bitches won't get out of my way!" said Zack.

"You could have just said 'excuse me!' " said the girl, angrily gripping her leather school bag which went over the top of her fashionable light blue long skirt.

"Fuck you, bitch!" Zack yelled as he snatched her bag and tossed it to the floor, all of the girls gasping in shock.

"I don't care if you're new to this school, Zack," Jason said angrily, "nobody mistreats a designer Coach bag like that!"

"What the fuck?" Zack said, puzzled by Jason's strange outburst.

"Ugh, whatever, I am so not dealing with this right now," said the girl, picking up her books and stuffing them back into her bag so she could walk away from the scene with her friends.

"Yeah, you better leave," Zack went to open his locker.

"Hey," Jason, feeling kind of bad, wanted to get the girl's attention, "your name is Kimberly right?"

"Yes, and you're Jason the karate guy," Kimberly wisecracked, her friends giggled.

"Yeah, well," said Jason, "I'm sorry about what just happened with Zack."

"It's okay," Kimberly smiled, "some people just need to learn to chill."

"Yeah," Jason replied. At this time a small Asian girl in a light pink sweater walked by, bumping into him.

"Sorry," she said shyly.

"No problem," Jason answered cheerfully.

At that moment, two teenage boys walked in. One was very broad and tall while the other one was short and skinny. Both boys wore jeans with chains and leather jackets to symbolize that they were the rebellious ones of the school. Unfortunately, they happened to walk by as the shy Asian girl went to open her locker.

"Hey, Bulk, look what I see," said the skinny bully, "it's the smart girl."

"Yeah, and you know what Skull?" said Bulk who was scratching his chin, trying to look clever, "I think that it would be a good idea if we let her do our homework for us."

"Yeah!" said Skull.

"I-I'm sorry," the girl stuttered, "but I'm not even the top of the class. Even if I was, I would rather just tutor you."

"Nah," said Bulk, "I'd rather you do the work while we go play!"

"Yeah, we wanna play!" Skull repeated.

"Please, stop!" the girl pleaded.

"Or what?" Bulk said.

"Yeah! Or what?" Skull copied.

"Trini," said Billy walking up to the girl, "just ignore these clowns. Anyway, how did you do on the Psych test?"

"Oh, I think I did okay," Trini smiled sweetly.

"Great," Billy returned the smile.

Bulk and Skull laughed at them, saying in a sing-song voice, "awww, Billy and Trini sitting in a tree F-U-C-K-I-N-G!"

"How completely immature of you," said Billy, rolling his eyes at them.

"Shut the fuck up, nerd!" Bulk swore as he got into Billy's face.

"Hey!" Jason angrily yelled as he pushed Bulk back into a locker, "Back off before somebody gets hurt!"

"Oh, look it's the almighty Jason!" Bulk teased, then said, "You think you're so tough, well, bring it!"

"I do not want to fight you, Bulk, just leave," Jason said coolly.

"Fuck you!" yelled Bulk as he threw a punch at Jason's stomach.

Flexing the muscle in his abdomen, which absorbed the blow of the punch, Jason hardly felt the hit. Then, when Bulk threw another punch, he grabbed Bulk's wrist and twisted it around the back in order to form a proper submission hold. Slamming Bulk into the nearby lockers just to keep the hold in place, Jason knew that Bulk had no chance in fighting back.

"You will NOT mess with my friend, got that?" Jason yelled, filled with rage.

"Owwie!" Bulk squealed in pain.

"JASON! BULKMEIER!" the principal screamed as he stormed in on what was going on.

"Sir," Jason let go of Bulk and faced the principal.

"Fucking karate boy," Bulk muttered.

The principal glared at Bulk then looked at Jason, disappointed, "I am ashamed to have caught you in such inexcusable behavior Jason. I expect it from Bulkmeier but not from you. So, you will be going to after school detention now and I will call your parents. Bulkmeier, see me in my office!"

Later, as Jason went to detention, Kimberly stayed after school for cheerleader practice, Trini stayed for Chess club, Billy stayed to help his Physics teacher, and Zack loitered around campus feeling bored.

""""""""""'

On the moon, an unexpected headquarters was being built by a couple of monsters. As they were doing so, a witch in a long, puffy dress with a two-way pointed hat, was looking through her giant telescope to spy on the earth.

"After ten thousand years, I am finally free," the witch spoke with a screechy voice then smiled evilly, "and now it's time to conquer Earth!"

"My Empress Rita," a fat sasquatch-like monster wobbled over to her, "we are just about finished with setting up the new headquarters."

"Yes!" piped a tall, blue monkey looking monster as he bowed to his queen, "You will be most pleased with our efforts to give your highness the best that you need!"

"Oh," squeaked another one of Rita's monster minions who looked like a furry white elf, "is my monster-making machine ready yet?" He asked this as he was doing Rita's nails.

"It better be, Finster! Now, where is Goldar?" Rita yelled as she was sitting in her high pimp chair, looking around to find her most powerful minion.

"Please, your highness, settle down and stop moving unless you want nail polish on your lips!" Finster exclaimed.

"It is not in your place to tell me what to do!" Rita reprimanded him as Goldar walked in.

"What is it my queen?" Goldar spoke with a growl as he bowed to Rita.

"We have been ordered to conquer Earth! Make sure everything we need is ready!" Rita commanded.

"Yes, my Queen," Goldar said as he stood up tall, his muscled ape-like body covered in golden armor. The only part of his body that was not covered in armor was his blue monkey shaped face. As soon as he could, Goldar went to fulfill his order to finish building the headquarters.

"Now, Finster," Rita looked at him as he finished polishing her nails, "Make me a monster!"

"I am sorry but I have to test out the machine before I make an outright monster, my Queen," Finster said subtly, "however, I can use it to create Putties to attack Earth."

"Ugh, well hurry up!" Rita cried impatiently.

"Of course, milady," Finster followed his orders as he shaped balls of clay into little monster figurines. When he was finished shaping the clay, he put the figures on a tray that was then put inside a giant oven. Pushing a button to make the machine work, Finster waited to see that it was successfully able to produce about ten or more silver, clay monsters.

"Perfect!" Rita exclaimed as she looked at the clay monsters, "I will send these Putties to Earth to cause chaos!"

Making strange mumbling noises, the Putties were sent down to Earth by Rita's large wand. The minute that they arrived on the planet, they automatically began to attack. In fact, the city they happened to land in was…Angel Grove.

""""""""""'

A couple of hours had passed by and Jason had finally been released from detention, avoiding the lecture from his hardworking parents, he decided to delay going home by stopping at the Juice Bar. Sitting at a high chair, Jason ordered a drink.

"How's it going today, Jason," said the owner of the Juice Bar.

"Not so good, Ernie, I just got out of detention," Jason sighed, disappointed in himself.

"Oh no," Ernie said, concerned, "what happened?"

"Bulk and Skull," Jason replied, irritated at what happened, "they were picking on Billy and some girl. I was just trying to get them to stop it. So, I used a bit of martial arts on Bulk, but then the principal caught me."

"Jeeze, if you were of age, I'd tell you to get something stronger than juice," Ernie chuckled.

"No, the juice is fine," Jason smiled, "but thanks Ernie."

"You're welcome," Ernie grinned, "just remember that I am always here to talk if you have any problems, kid."

"I know," said Jason, thankful.

While Jason was at the Juice Bar, Billy was just leaving the school after helping his Physics teacher. Feeling a bit giddy over his accomplishments in that class, he walked home with a bit of bounce in his step. However, as he was on his way, Billy witnessed a couple of Putties appear.

"What the," Billy said, puzzled over seeing these creatures appear out of nowhere.

As soon as the Putties arrived, they began their raid of destruction. Not noticing Billy, he ran for it. Trying to get away, more Putties appeared, this time, he was surrounded.

"Oh my god," Billy panicked, not knowing what to do, "this can't be happening!"

"Hey!" A strange teenage boy with long dark hair ran in and began fighting off the Putties, "Are you okay?"

"I…" Billy, having a panic attack, could not finish his statement.

"You better get to safety, I'll hold these things off," said the stranger.

""""""""""'

Back on the moon, Rita was furious.

"What?" Rita shrieked, looking through her telescope, "There is a human fighting off my Putties!"

"I'm sure it means nothing, my Queen," said the blue monkey monster, "humans fight all the time but they don't always win."

"Baboo is right, Empress Rita!" said the Sasquatch, "Humans fight, but they will be no match for our Putties."

"You better be right, Squat!" Rita spat at her servants, "There is no way that I want to fail this conquest."

""""""""""'

At the Juice Bar, Trini sat alone doing homework as she noticed Billy run in. Feeling a bit worried for him, she watched him as he spoke to Jason.

"Monsters?" Jason raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yes! At least ten of them!" Billy breathed, "I was barely able to make it out alive!"

"Billy," Jason sighed, "have you been hallucinating again?"

"No! I know what I saw," he said, "and there was another guy that saw it too! Jason, you have to believe me. These things could show up here too."

Jason sighed, "Billy, sit down. I'll buy you a drink so you can relax."

"Jason, how can I relax when I was just attacked?" Billy yelled, getting everyone's attention.

Trini kept looking at him, feeling a little sorry for him. Then, suddenly, a bunch of Putties began to burst into the Juice Bar.

"What the hell?" Jason exclaimed.

"I told you so!" Billy glared at his friend.

"Billy, get behind me," said Jason, standing up protectively so he could fight.

"Eek!" Trini shrieked as a Putty tried to grab her, "Get away from me!"

"Trini!" Billy looked at her and rushed to her side.

"Get back you monsters!" yelled Trini, as she tried swatting the monsters away with a nearby chair.

"Billy, you need to find a way to safety," Jason said as he was defending himself and the others.

Billy, standing there, not wanting to leave his best friend behind, decided to take action of his own. Knowing he could not fight as well as Jason, he decided to find a way to get people out of the Juice Bar safely.

"Come on! You must find a safe place to hide until these things go away!" Billy ordered as he helped people escape.

""""""""""'

A couple of blocks away from the Juice Bar, Zack was walking alone, not wanting to go home. Then, suddenly, he saw a girl running down the street, it looked like the same girl from earlier.

"What the fuck is that white bitch doing?" Zack muttered to himself. Seconds later, he saw what she was running from, "what the fuck?"

Kimberly ran as fast as she could until she bumped into Zack, "son of a mother duck! These things won't stop chasing me!"

"Holy shit!" Zack yelled, "RUN!"

The two of them ran but eventually ran into more Putty action down the street by the Juice Bar.

"Shit! Shit!" Zack yelled out.

"We're surrounded!" Kimberly cried as the Putties circled around them.

"You know what," Zack looked at Kimberly, " we have no choice. We have to protect ourselves. Do you know how to fight?"

"No," said Kimberly, wide-eyed.

"Well, you'll have to figure it out," said Zack as he began punching and kicking the Putties away.

"Zack!" Kimberly cried out as a Putty grabbed her from behind. Zack tried to pull her away from them but there were just too many.

""""""""""'

Watching the Putties as they were currently invading Angel Grove, a self powered robot and an astral projected head in a giant glass tube looked carefully at a viewing globe near the entrance of their Command Center.

"Ay yi yi! Zordon, Rita has already sent her Putties to attack Earth," said the small robot in a panicked voice, "what do we do?"

"You must remain calm, Alpha," said Zordon with a very stern voice. Assessing the damage being done in Angel Grove from the viewing globe, Zordon noticed five teenagers in the middle of the chaos, "Alpha, look at those humans there."

"Zordon, those are teenagers," Alpha complained, "You can't be thinking about-"

"I am," Zordon answered, "we cannot allow Rita to fulfill her plans. These five teenagers may be our only hope."

"But, Zordon," Alpha squeaked, "they are over-bearing, emotional teenagers!"

"Alpha, you have your orders," Zordon demanded, "I want you to summon them here, to my Command Center. We have no other choice."

"Ay yi yi! I just hope you know what you're doing," said Alpha concerned by his master's decision as he began pressing buttons on his control panel alongside the Command Center.

""""""""""'

In the Juice Bar, Jason could no longer keep up his strength for there were too many Putties, Billy tried to help but he just got knocked to the side. Trini, who was the only one still standing, kept trying to fight off the clay monsters but it was no use. Then, suddenly, Trini began to feel a tingling sensation.

"What?" Trini said to herself as her entire body began to glow with a yellowish light.

"Trini?" Billy looked at her, confused as her form suddenly disappeared, "NO!"

Getting up, Billy attempted to move to the spot that Trini was once standing in, but the Putties began to attack again.

"No, you took my friend! I won't let you win!" Billy yelled as he went to punch a Putty in the face. At that moment, however, Billy began to feel a strange tingling sensation as his body shined a bluish light. Just as Trini did, Billy disappeared.

"Billy!" Jason yelled out then suddenly began to glow a reddish color and was transported as well.

Outside, Zack had been able to fight off some of the monsters but could not keep up with Kimberly's "damsel-in-distress" syndrome.

"I thought I told you to fight!" Zack spat at her as he roundhouse kicked a putty.

"And, I thought I told you I don't know how!" Kimberly yelled back. Right after she said this, she began to glow pinkish and was teleported away.

"What the fu-" said Zack, being cut off in mid-sentence, as he was teleported too but with a purplish-black color.

""""""""""'

Back at Rita's headquarters, the Almighty Witch was pleased with the progress that her Putties were making.

"Soon Earth will be mine!" Rita laughed menacingly, "And, nobody will be able to stop me!"

"Yes, my Queen!" both Baboo and Squat bowed.

"Goldar!" Rita yelled out.

"What is it, your highness?" Goldar appeared in front of her.

"I want you to go to Earth and help out the Putties," said Rita, "make sure that any humans that try to stand in your way are destroyed. Got it?

"Yes, your highness!" Goldar bowed then teleported away to Earth.

""""""""""'

Jason, Billy, Trini, Kimberly, and Zack had all appeared standing in the middle of what appeared to be a room surrounded by control panels and gadgets. Looking around, all five teenagers could hardly believe how they were able to suddenly appear in such a place.

"Where are we?" Trini blinked.

"It looks like we are in some sort of computer," Billy guessed.

"Look! It's something shiny!" Kimberly pointed at a giant glass tube in front of them.

"It's just a glass tube," Zack commented. As he said that, Zordon's face appeared, "what the fuck?"

"Welcome to my Command Center, teenagers of Angel Grove," Zordon greeted.

"Holy Vivienne Westwood! It knows how to speak English!" said Kimberly.

Zordon blinks at her, "Yes, I know English among many other languages."

"Oh, okay," said Kimberly.

" Who are you? And, what do you want with us?" Jason said bravely.

"My name is Zordon," he answered, "and I have summoned you here so that you can accept what I am about to give to you."

"What are you proposing you will give to us?" Billy asked.

"I will offer all five of you power," Zordon explained, "so that you will have a chance to save your world."

"Wait, hold up," said Zack, "how do you expect us to do that? We're just a bunch of kids!"

"Do not doubt yourself," Zordon said encouragingly, "for I see five brave warriors who deserve a chance to defeat the evil that has begun to plague Earth."

All five teenagers were shocked to hear that this Zordon guy really believed they were the ones to save Earth.

"I don't mean to be disrespectful, Sir," said Trini, "but even if we could, I don't know if only the five of us could handle all those monsters. I mean, as Zack said, we're just kids."

"You are not just kids anymore," said Zordon, "for I have selected the five of you to become elite warriors on Earth."

"Umm, what?" said Kimberly, confused.

"You will defend your planet against evil Rita's plot to conquer Earth," said Zordon, "look at the viewing globe behind you and I will show you the reason why your planet is under attack."

Jason, Billy, Trini, Kimberly, and Zack all turned to look at an image of Rita's headquarters on the moon. Then, Zordon showed them Rita herself who was laughing at the destruction in Angel Grove.

"She's the reason for this?" Jason said angrily, then looked up at Zordon, "how do we stop her?"

"The first step to defeating Rita is to stop her Putties from attacking Earth," said Zordon, now showing them the clay monsters so they get familiar with what a Putty is exactly. Then, the scene turns to Goldar attacking the city as well.

"Ay yi yi!" Alpha appeared, "Zordon, it's…. Goldar!"

"Alpha, please remain calm," Zordon said coolly.

"But, he's Rita's strongest warrior!" Alpha panicked.

"Maybe so, but we have five warriors here who will have the power to beat him," said Zordon.

"What the fuck is that?" Zack said, looking at Alpha.

"An android, maybe? Or a fully functional automaton?" Billy guessed.

"Ay yi yi! How'd you guess?" Alpha asked, "My full name is Alpha 5 but you can just call me Alpha."

"Oh, okay," Billy answered, smiling.

"This is, like, totally unreal," said Kimberly.

"Yeah, seriously, I'm leaving," said Zack, who was about to walk away.

"And when you leave, where do you suppose you will go, Zack?" said Zordon, feeling annoyed by Zack's stubborn attitude.

"I just want to get away from all this craziness! I never asked for it!" Zack replied.

"And you think we asked for it?" said Jason, getting in his face, "Neither of us wanted to get attacked either, dude."

"Get out of my face you white faggot!" Zack pushed him.

"What'd you call me?" Jason growled and pushed him back.

"Guys! Stop it!" said Trini, who was trying to stop them from fighting, "Now isn't the time to be fighting!"

"She is right," said Zordon, "you must stick together if you want to save your world. Zack, I know you did not wish to be attacked. But, if you stay, I can give you what you need to protect yourself."

"Yeah, and what would that be?" said Zack, irritated, "What exactly can a giant floating head in a tube possibly do to help me?"

"Be patient, Zack. For I am about to give you what you need," Zordon said, "But, first, all five of you must step forward if you agree that you will defend the Earth from evil."

"I will do it," said Jason, bravely stepping forth.

"Me too," said Billy who did the same, "I mean, I don't know exactly how I will do it but I want to help."

"You can count on me, Zordon," Trini said as she stepped forward.

"I don't know," said Kimberly, "I mean, I was completely useless out there. I just kept getting in the way."

"You have inner strength that will guide you when the time is right," Zordon spoke to her, "Please, I would be honored if you joined us."

"Zordon," Kimberly sighed and stepped forward, "if you say so."

"Oh, come on!" said Zack, "I can't believe you guys."

"Just step forward so he can tell us what to do," said Jason.

"Na uh! I am not buying his bullshit!" said Zack.

"Zack, if you wish to see your world be destroyed, then leave," Zordon ordered, feeling aggravated, "But, if you wish to make a difference, then I would rather you stay."

"I just," Zack tried to find the words, "how do you know I can do it? I mean, I've never been good at anything in my life."

"You fought those Putties pretty well," Kimberly giggled, "maybe that's what you're good at."

"I don't know," said Zack, unsure.

"She has a point, Zack," Zordon replied, "You showed great courage in facing the Putties. You are a warrior at heart."

Zack took a moment to think about it before he stepped forward saying, "I'll do it."

"Thank you," said Zordon, then looking at all of them, "all of you. Now, I will give the five of you what you need in order to save your world. Hold out your right hand and close your eyes."

Following his instructions, all five of the teenagers closed their eyes and held out their right hands.

"What I am about to give you," Zordon explained, "Will be the key to your salvation."

Suddenly, five golden coins appeared, each one shining brightly in the palm of the teenagers' hands. Feeling the energy of the coins in their hands, the teenagers opened their eyes to see what had happened.

"Congratulations," Zordon said, "you are now Power Rangers."

_A/N: the title is from the Damhnait Doyle song "Just the Beginning"._


	2. Arc 1 Ascension: 2 Unleashed

Metamorphosis  
Arc 1: Ascension  
Chapter 2:  
"Unleashed"

Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Trini, and Billy, all looked at each golden coin that appeared in the palm of their hands, puzzled by what it meant.

"Now that you are Power Rangers, you must go and put an end to Goldar and his Putties before they destroy all of Angel Grove," Zordon commanded.

"What the fuck? How the hell do you expect us to do that? All you did was give us a stupid fake coin!" Zack complained.

"Be patient, Zack," Zordon reprimanded, "for those coins are the key to unlocking your powers."

"Powers?" Jason asked.

"Yes," Zordon turned his gaze to Jason, "you are Power Rangers now. Your Power coins will help you unlock the great power that you will need in order to fight your enemies."

"Oh," Jason said as he looked at the viewing globe to see the destruction Goldar was causing.

"But, Zordon, even with these great powers, how will we know what to do with them?" Billy asked.

"When the time is right, the knowledge will come to you instinctively," Zordon answered.

"So, you want us to use these powers to fight off that monster?" Trini said, watching Goldar as well, "what if we lose?"

"No need to worry about losing," Zordon replied, "for you will be able to summon up great power when in battle. For one," Zordon paused, "you will be able to morph using your Power coins and then have the ability to call upon special weapons."

"Morph? Weapons?" All five questioned.

"Yes," Zordon said, "on your Power coins are animals that represent your inner strength. To morph, you will have to summon their names. And, when you morph, you will have the ability to use weapons. With these weapons, you will gain extra power to defeat your enemies. Jason, you will command the mighty Power Sword. Billy, your weapon will be the Power Lance. Zack, your strength will be in the Power Ax. Kimberly, yours will be the Power Bow, and finally, Trini, you will have the Power Daggers. These, along with your Blade Blasters should be more than sufficient in your quest to defeat Goldar. Call upon them when you need them. However, when the situation becomes too perilous, combine your weapons to form the Power Blaster. Your instincts as Power Rangers should tell you how."

"You really expect us to believe all this?" Kimberly interrupted.

"Yeah, it is a bit unorthodox, but..." Billy paused, "I can't see any other explanation for it."

"Now that you are Rangers, you will be called on to handle situations like this. You will have to save your world, but you must only defend. You must never reveal your true identities, and you must never escalate a battle unless Rita does, first. Now, are you ready?" with that Zordon finished, exasperated, and upon the Rangers agreement, teleported them to Downtown Angel Grove.

The Rangers appeared directly in the maelstrom. Putties were causing havoc and attacking civilians left and right while Goldar commanded them, laughing. Jason clenched his fists, trying desperately to control the anger he felt.

"Hey, evil doers, knock it off!" Jason commanded.

"R-really, Jason? That's so unoriginal, try something els-" Kimberly was cut short by an attacking Putty knocking her to the ground. Scrambling to her feet, Kim dodged a kick to the midsection and returned one to the attacking Putty's face. "Ow! They're hard as a rock!"

"That's what she said!" Zack replied, delivering a roundhouse kick to a Putty, and shoving another into an already broken fire hydrant, unaware Goldar was behind him.

"Zack, look out!" Jason called, slamming another Putty into the ground, he rushed to help his teammate, but could only watch as Goldar dealt a punch that sent him flying into Billy. Trini, rushing to their defense, was thrown by Goldar into a nearby car wreck.

"Kimberly, pay attention! Stop messing with these clay things and help Trini! I'll try to get to Zack and Billy," Jason called out. Kimberly responded in the positive, rushing to Trini's side in mere seconds. Jason set his sights on Goldar, rage pumping through his veins.

"Hey, Golden Asshole, you want a fight? I'm right here!" Jason challenged and with one hit from Goldar, was sent flying to where his teammates were.

"Way to go, Big Hero," Trini chastised.

"We need a new plan!" Billy panicked, noticing Goldar's approach.

"Form a circle!" Jason shouted.

"Why are we forming a motherfucking circle?" Zack huffed.

"A power circle!" Billy responded, his brain running at a million miles a second, calculating different scenarios and their outcomes. "This doesn't bode well for us!"

"What are we gonna do? There's no way we can defeat him! We're not strong enough!" Trini said, fear crushing her senses.

"Enough negativity! We need to think positive!" Kimberly shouted. Then, suddenly, the gold coin in her pocket began to glow.

"Mawhaa?" Kimberly said when she took it out and held it in the palm of her hand.

"K-Kimberly, look! Your coin! It's emitting light!" Billy said, fascinated, "what's happening?"

"It's a," before she can finish her sentence, Kimberly's eyes began to glow as she instinctively held out the power coin in front of her. "Pterodactyl!" She exclaimed. The pink light began to surround her as it morphed her body.

"Kimberly!" Jason said, shocked. "What the hell?"

As soon as the change finished, the pink light surrounding Kimberly disappeared to reveal her new form.

"Holy cheese crackers!" Billy exclaimed as he and the others stared at Kimberly in awe.

With grace and beauty, Kimberly posed. Her gloves and boots, being white with pink diamonds, complemented the white diamonds on her feminine chest and back. Around her waist was a white belt with a morphing device being used as a buckle. In the center of the morphing device shined the golden pterodactyl Power coin which was surging energy throughout the rest of her body. Waiting for the chance to be used, Kimberly's pink pistol, also known as a Blade Blaster, rested in the white holster on the left side of her belt. Her pink skirt, which went over the suit, was outlined in white. And, her pink helmet, designed with a pterodactyl around the black visor that gave her sight, shaped her head perfectly.

"I feel...strong!" Kimberly said as she turned to face Goldar. Glaring at him, she was determined to take him down. The other four teenagers amazed by this, looked at their own golden coins. Recognizing the creatures that were carved into each coin, the remaining four realized what they were to do.

"I guess this is it," Billy said as he closed his fist around the coin, "we have to do this."

Just like Kimberly did, Billy began to glow but this time it was a blue light that surrounded his body as he yelled out, "triceratops!"

"What? I can't believe this!" Zack yelled out, "This can't be happening!"

"Well, it is, and we have to accept it!" Trini scolded him, "There is no other way."

Right when the blue light disappeared to expose a new, more muscular Billy in his blue uniform which was just like Kimberly's, minus the skirt, Trini began to glow with a yellowish light.

"I believe that we have the power to do what is right," Trini said before she yelled out, "Saber-toothed tiger!"

Yellow light surrounded her body then disappeared when she successfully morphed just like the previous two did. Unlike Kimberly, she did not wear a skirt and her yellow helmet was shaped like a Saber-toothed tiger just as Billy's blue helmet formed the triceratops.

"You know what? Fuck it!" Zack said as he held out his gold coin, "If those three can do this, I can too!" A purplish-black color appeared around Zack as he yelled out, "Mastodon!"

When Zack appeared in his black uniform, helmet shaped like the mastodon, he exclaimed, "Fuck yeah!"

Jason rolled his eyes at Zack then held out his coin as he glared at Goldar, "there's no way I'm going to let you get away with trying to hurt all these people. You will pay!"

In all his anger, Jason began to glow red, already knowing what to do he exclaimed, "Tyrannosaurus!"

The red light, as if it were fire, shaped his body then gave way to let the others look at his new red uniform. Just like the others, his helmet made the shape of his respective animal, the tyrannosaurus.

Now that all five of the teenagers had morphed, they all posed, radiant with power.

"What? This can't be!" Goldar exclaimed, furious, "What are you-"

"We are," all five of them said together, "the Power Rangers!"

"The Power Rangers?" Goldar said, feeling threatened and slightly confused, "This can't be! I obliterated the last of the Power Rangers over 10,000 years ago! But, then again, Zordon must have found a way to reclaim that ancient power. Hah! No matter, I'll just have you destroyed too! Putties, kill them all!"

At this given order, the Putties began to launch at the Rangers.

"Power Rangers, attack!" Jason ordered as he leaped into the air. Landing in front of a Putty, he punched a hole through its center, automatically turning the Putty into dust. The other four rangers began to fight as well.

As the Blue Ranger, Billy was able to swiftly dodge an oncoming Putty. Then, he turned and delivered a sidekick, strong enough to turn the Putty into dust.

"Woah! This is phenomenal!" Billy said excitedly as he continued to defeat other Putties. Meanwhile, Trini, as the Yellow Ranger, was able to successfully send two Putties into dust land by tossing both of them simultaneously with her newly found strength.

"Awesome!" Trini exclaimed. Right behind her, Zack decided to pull out his Blade Blaster gun after already defeating a couple of Putty monsters by hand.

"Eat my Power lead you mother fuckers!" Zack yelled out as he began to shoot the Putties in the head, killing them faster.

"Aiya!" Kimberly yelled out as she gracefully flipped, using her legs to decapitate the Putty monsters.

"Yes!" Jason said as he began tossing the Putties and ripping off the clay monster's heads.

Eventually, the Power Rangers were able to eliminate all of the Putty monsters, leaving Goldar there standing alone.

"Fuckers! I'll destroy you all!" Goldar shouted, backhanding Billy who tried to make the first attempt in beating him.

"Well, this is quite the reversal," Billy chided as he fell into Zack.

"Shut the fuck up and get off of me," Zack growled, "we got a monkey to kill."

"Not so fast," Goldar chuckled as he charged at the Rangers, knocking all but Kimberly aside. Grabbing her by the neck, he lifted her up into the air, preparing to severe her head from her body.

"You will be the first to go, Pink Ranger!" Goldar laughed menacingly.

"Oh, no you don't!" Jason exclaimed as he Power drop kicked Goldar in the abdomen. This distracted Goldar enough so that his grip on Kimberly loosened and she was able to free herself with a twist and a kick to his gut.

"Owwie! You will pay, Rangers!" Goldar cried out as they surrounded him.

"Power Rangers," Jason commanded, "let's use our Blade Blasters to finish this golden monkey clown!"

"Of course!" Trini answered, pulling out her Blade Blaster.

"Affirmative!" Billy said, following the order as well.

"You can count on me!" Kimberly held her own gun, preparing to fire.

"Fuck it," Zack said, "you didn't have to order me. I already have mine out."

"Good," Jason smiled, "get ready and FIRE!"

They all fired their Blade Blasters successfully at Goldar.

"Ugh!" Goldar said, feeling the blasts and falling to his knees from the impact.

"You have no choice but to surrender, you golden piece of shit!" Jason spat.

"Hah!" Goldar replied, standing up, "You think those little toy guns are any match against me?"

"Mawhaa?" The Rangers said, surprised by his strength.

"Think again!" Goldar chuckles as he quickly goes to each Ranger, punching them with his large golden fists until all five are rolling on the ground moaning in pain.

"Owwie!" Billy whined.

"Shut the fuck up! We need to beat this guy!" Zack yelled at him.

"How? We're obviously not strong enough to defeat him with our fists," Trini yelled out, then she suddenly had a thought, "how about we try the weapons Zordon gave us?"

"What the fuck are you talking about, Chink?" Zack said.

"Ugh! Don't call me that!" Trini growled, "Just listen! Zordon gave us weapons that we can summon whenever a situation became too dangerous. Guys, wouldn't you consider this moment to be dangerous?

Everyone agreed.

"So, then, what are we waiting for?" Trini asked then held out her arms, "I summon the Power Daggers!" Right at that moment, two yellow daggers appeared in Trini's hands.

"Yes!" Trini squealed excitedly, "it worked!"

"Ooooooh," the others gasped as they began to summon their weapons too.

"I summon the Power Lance!"

"I summon the Power Bow!"

"I summon the Power Ax!"

"I summon the Power Sword!"

All at once, the Power weapons appeared in each Ranger's hands, preparing them to defeat Goldar.

"Rangers, attack! Let's finish this guy!" Jason called, as he charged Goldar with his Power sword.

"Right!" the other Rangers replied as they began to charge with their more powerful weapons.

"Aiya!" Trini yelled as she used her Power Daggers to successfully slash Goldar in the chest. Right after Trini's daggers made impact, Billy used his strength to twirl his Power Lance so that it can repeatedly slash Goldar in the back with both blades sitting on opposite sides of the long blue staff. Next, Kimberly used her energy to summon a pink arrow so she can shoot it at Goldar with her Power Bow. Then, Zack used the cannon on his Power Ax to blast the golden armored monkey from behind which knocked the monster back on his knees.

"You're done for!" Jason yelled out as he held out his sword, letting his own power surge into the blade, causing it to turn red, "You won't be hurting anymore people, I will make sure of that!"

"What?" Goldar looks as Jason suddenly dashes towards him.

"HIYA!" Jason slices the sword through Goldar's midsection.

"NOOOO!" Goldar shrieked in pain, falling to his back, bleeding.

"It's over," said Jason, looking down at Goldar as he withers in pain.

The other Rangers appear at Jason's side and look down as well to see what they all had accomplished.

"I can't believe it," Goldar mumbled, shocked at his defeat.

"Believe it," said Jason, "we beat you."

"Maybe," Goldar gasps in pain, "but you haven't seen the last of me or my Empress' power. You will lose."

At that, Goldar vanished.

"Wait, where'd he go?" Billy asked.

"I don't know," Kimberly replied.

"Who gives a fuck? At least he's gone," said Zack.

"I guess," Trini said, who was unsure.

"He will be back," Jason finally answered.

Everyone turned to look at him, puzzled.

"I know he will," Jason said, "and next time, we'll be ready for him."

_A/N: The title is from the Epica song "Unleashed"._


	3. Arc 1 Ascension: 3 I Want You to Want Me

Metamorphosis  
Arc 1: Ascension  
Chapter 3:  
"I Want You to Want Me"

Goldar slumped back to Rita's chambers, bloodied and defeated. He knew his queen would be angry and that there would be hell to pay. His body broken, he was barely able to open the door.

"You failed me," Rita said coldly as he fell to the floor in front of her.

"I am sorry, my emporess," Goldar groveled.

"Do you know what I do to failures? Do you even remember what I did to the last one? You should, you carried out the order, or have you forgotten?" Rita questioned abrasively.

"Please forgive me, this wasn't my fault, there were Power Rangers-"

"POWER RANGERS? You killed the last ones over 10,000 years ago! Do not lie to me, Goldar!" Rita screamed.

"I am not lying, you know my skin is too thick for any weapons but theirs!" Goldar pleaded desperately, before passing out.

Rita glared at him for minute, then called Baboo and Squatt to take him away. "Finster! Make me a monster! I want those Earthlings dead!"

"But my Queen, the machine is still not ready!" Finster said meakly, bowing at her feet.

"Then I will have to summon her," Rita said, a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Oh, no! Not her, anyone but-"

"Scorpina, she will arrive in a day, prepare her room," Rita said, turning away from Finster, "and fix the damn machine!" Finster fled the room. "If there are Power Rangers...they will need to be dealt with, and swiftly, before they become a nuisance."

""""""""""'

Jason walked toward his locker, talking avidly as Billy listened intently. "I can't believe we actually won! That monkey's gonna need heavy cover-up to hide those bruises!"

"What?"

"Er...nothing. So, how was Chem. class?"

"It was-"

"Hey, guys," Zack cut in.

"Hey, Zack," Jason and Billy replied.

"So, where the bitches at?" Zack asked.

"If you mean the females of our team, I believe they're in the gym participating in the cheerleading tryouts," Billy replied.

"Those are today? Damn, the doors are probably locked already," Zack cursed.

"Yeah, probably," Jason said nervously.

"It's almost time for class, I refuse to be late," Billy said, as he left.

"What a nerd, kid really needs to get laid, I mean...woah. What is THAT?" Zack said as Ashley walked towards them, her breasts bouncing with each step she took.

"Hey, Jason," Ashley said in as sexy a tone as she could "how are you?" She was wearing a very low cut, white sweater and a very mini black mini-skirt.

"I'm doing...fine," Jason replied nervously.

"Listen, Jason, I was wondering if you were busy after school? I mean, if you wanted to do something, hang out," Ashley said her voice deep in her throat.

"W-what did y-you ha-have in m-m-ind?" Jason tripped over his words.

"Maybe we could hang out at the Juice Bar? Take my father's car for a spin?"

"Dude!" Zack rasped in Jason's ear, "go for! She totally wants you!"

"I dunno man, I just-"

"Come on, what are you, a fag?"

"Er...no, of course not! Okay, I'll meet you at the common after school," Jason said.

"Alright, then," Ashley said with a turn, brushing her hips against Jason.  
"All right, Jason! You got a date with one of the hottest girls in school! And...oh, that's nice!" Zack said as A'isha and Katherine walked by. "Oh, yeah, that's...real nice," he said and grabbed A'isha's ass.

A'isha gasped, turning around she backhanded Zack, "Perv! Keep your hands to yourself!"

"That was totally uncalled for," a passerby said.

"Hey, Rocky," Jason said to the passerby with a wave and a smile.

"Hey, Jason," the passerby, now known as Rocky, said with a smile. "Will I be seeing you at the martial arts tournament?"

"As always," Jason replied, a smile stretched wide across his face.

"Great, I'll see you," Rocky said with a wink, and walked away.

""""""""""'

"Power Rangers! Damned, cursed Power Rangers!" Rita fumed, "why? Why do they have to foil my plans? Why? Why me? Why me of all people? Oh, those Power Rangers, I'll have my day in hell with them. They'll see, if they exist..."

""""""""""'

Jason walked out on the Common, the final school bell had just rang and he was waiting for Ashley.

'_I really don't wanna do this_,' he thought as Billy and Trini approached.

"Hey, Jason, what's up?" Trini asked, her normal cheerful self.

"Hey, Trini, hey, Billy, how are you guys?" Jason asked, forlornly.

"I'm doing good, Jason, I made this for you, and the rest of the team, it's a wrist communicator, I've linked them to Zordon so if anything happens, he'll be able to contact us," Billy babbled.

"Uh...thanks," Jason said, taking the wrist communicator. The communicator was silver in color and looked exactly like a wrist watch.

"So, I got to go find Zack and give him one, too, come on Trini! Bye Jason," Billy called running off to the parking lot, Trini following him with a wave.

"Hey, Jason," Rocky said with a smile, sitting down next to him.

"Hey, man," Jason's eyes lit up.

"Have any plans for tonight?" Rocky asked.

"Got a date," he said bitterly.

"With who?" Rocky asked, sadly.

"Yeah, with who?" Skull mimicked as he pushed Rocky out of the way, "you find a nice farm animal to settle down with?"

"Knock it off, Skull," Jason warned, anger building at the sight of his friend being pushed around.

"Fuckin' make him, faggot," Bulk said, shoving Jason to the ground. Jason wasted no time in kicking Bulk in the gut and laying a punch across his jaw. Skull tried to intervene but Rocky hit him with his bookbag, knocking Skull down. He then attempted to restrain him while Jason landed a few more blows to Bulk's abdomen.

"That's enough!" The principle called. "Jason, detention, again! Rocky, you too."

Ashley arrived just in time to see Jason and Rocky carted off to the detention hall.

"No fair!" she pouted, stamping her foot in a child-like fashion.

""""""""""'

Jason and Rocky were in detention, separated from Bulk by two floors and five teachers. The teacher glared at them and gave them the rules; 'be quiet and do your homework.' Jason furiously scribbled his math homework, the pencil scratching, and in some places tearing, the paper. His anger was getting the best of him.

Rocky sat quietly, working on his English, or rather making it appear that was what he was doing. He scribbled a few words on a piece of paper and quietly folded the piece of paper. Looking up from his desk, he waited until the teacher wasn't looking to pass the note to Jason.

'_I'm sorry I got you in trouble._'

Jason wrote back, '_you didn't, besides, Bulk was asking for it._'

'_Yeah, but I don't want to damage your reputation._'

"It's all right, people will think what they want to anyway," Jason whispered.

"Yeah..." Rocky said with a smile.

"Excuse me, no talking," the teacher scolded.

""""""""""'

Jason walked home alone, the sunlight warming his skin. It was a clear day with no chance of craziness, nothing to keep him from his thoughts. _Damn, why can't I just keep my cool? _

"Hey, baby," Ashley jumped on Jason's back.

"Ashley! What...what are you doing?" Jason said, surprised.

"You skipped out on our date, you're gonna make it up to me!" Ashley demanded.

"That- I-well, uh - it was a detention!" Jason protested.

"Oh, but, Jay-Jay, you promised to go to the Juice Bar with me!" Ashley pouted.

"I, uh, okay," Jason sighed, "I just need to get home first." _They better ground me._

""""""""""'

"Where the hell have you been? And why did I have the principle call me two days in a row telling me you had detention for beating another student? What the fuck has gotten into you, Jason? Do you think that makes you cool? Beating the shit out of someone else? Well, do you?" Jason's father yelled at him.

Jason stood silent in the doorway, not knowing how to respond. His mother entered the room the same time Ashley deceided she didn't like standing behind Jason, and shoved him through the doorway. Standing there with this dumbstruck smile on her face, she walked into the room.

"Who the hell is this?" his father demanded.

"Oh, uh, this is Ash-"

"I'm his girlfriend!" Ashley cheerfully interrupted Jason.

"You're girlfriend?" his mother questioned, in utter disbelief that her son would date someone so trampy.

"No, she's really-"

"Yeppers, that's me!" Ashley chirped.

"We...uh...were gonna go to the Juice Bar, if that's all right," Jason said uneasily.

"No, it is not all right. You're grounded, say goodbye to your friend," his mother said.

""""""""""'

On the moon, Rita was finally pleased with Finster's work. Everyone was bustling around, preparing for-

"Scorpina, you've finally arrived," Rita said with a deadly smile.

_A/N: the title is taken from the Cheap Trick song "I Want You to Want Me"._


	4. Arc 1 Ascension: 4 Ice Queen

Metamorphosis  
Arc 1: Ascension  
Chapter 4:  
"Ice Queen"

"It is a pleasure to see you again, my queen," Scorpina said with a bow.

"Aah, Scorpina, it is a pleasure to see you again, as well," Rita replied with a big grin.

"Let's move past the niceties, Rita, it's making my skin crawl," said Scorpina, with a sneer, "now, why have you summoned me?"

"Well, you see, it's a bit of a strange...er...it's...uh...a complicated situation," Rita babbled, "and I am in the process of conquering Earth at the moment, and I have encountered a bit of a problem."

Scorpina stared blankly at Rita, "what are you trying to say? What problem?"

"Goldar claims he saw Power Rangers," Rita shuddered.

"And you want me to kill them? What proof do you have of their existence?" Scorpina asked.

"Although I would like to believe it to be a pathetic excuse for Goldar's failure, I had to realize that... he almost never fails... and he is almost never injured. The only way to really hurt him is with the Power weapons... and he showed signs of being attacked by such weapons. This is why I summoned you, Scorpina, to exterminate them," Rita hissed the last sentence. "What do I get for doing this?" Scorpina asked.

"What do you wish?" asked Rita.

"I am not sure, I will tell you upon completion of my mission," Scorpina said.

"Thank you," Rita paused for moment, " and do not worry, even if these Power Rangers are roaming about on earth, they must be fairly new which means they should be no match for your power."

""""""""""'

Jason wandered around his room, trying to distract himself. He picked up his baseball from it's resting place on his bookshelf. Tossing it up in the air, his thoughts ran to Ashley.

_She's a nice girl, but...I dunno, I just don't like her...she's too...womanly...I... hmm...mean, she's one of the most popular girls in school but... I dunno... I guess I don't like how superficial she is...she... yeah!... that's it._ Jason, with the eeriee feeling that someone watching him, looked out his window. _I'm losing my mind...nothing's there..I...I'm thinking too much. About school, Ashley...Rocky...I...Ashley's tits are just way too big, that IS part of it...I think. And- _His wrist communicator chose to go off at that moment.

"What's up, Zordon?" Jason said into the wristwatch looking device.

"Jason, there is an evil villain attacking the city. Her name is Scorpina and she has a lot of power. You and the other Rangers will have to meet here at the Command Center for further instructions." Zordon said.

"Zordon," Jason began forlornly, "I'm not sure I can, my parents grounded me."

"Jason, what is more important: your parents or the world?" Zordon asked.

"I...uh, Zordon, I..." Jason was almost in tears.

"I'm summoning you Jason. I'm sorry. We need you in this." With that Jason was teleported to the command center, where everyone else was waiting. "Welcome Rangers. I have received a distress signal from downtown Angel Grove. Please, turn your attention to the Viewing Globe."  
Scorpina appeared on the Viewing Globe, a close up on her face, showing a scorpion-like decor surrounding her face. Surrounded by a barrage of Putties and wielding a giant crescent-shaped sword, she attacked civilians; men, women and children alike. Jason clutched his fists in anger, seeing the hurt Scorpina was causing.

"That is Scorpina, unfortunately she deals with heavy magicks and her armor is impenetrable. Defeating her will not be easy," Zordon instructed.

"What do we do?" Trini asked.

"Completely defeating her is not an option, remember, you can only defend. Drive her away with your Power Weapons, but should her power become too much for you to handle, you can summon more strength and use your individual weapons to form the Power Blaster."

"How do we do that?" Kimberly asked.

"Kimberly, much like you knew how to morph, you will know how to do this," Zordon replied.  
All the team could do was remain silent as Zordon reminded them once more, "use your weapons to defend, never kill."

"Why can't we take the bitch out?" Zack questioned.

"You will lose your connection to the morphing grid," Zordon replied, "now morph and defend the world."

""""""""""'

The Rangers appeared in an empty Angel Grove Park. No sign of Scorpina or the Putties, just cold wind brushing against the Ranger's helmets. Searching for signs of life, Trini found there was none. "Why are we here, didn't Zordon say it was downtown?" Trini asked. No sooner had she asked when Scorpina appeared with her Putties.

"Attack them!" Scorpina commanded.

"Guys!" Jason shouted, "I'll take Scorpina, you take the Putties." Jason called on his sword and lunged at Scorpina, swinging his sword at her face. With a kick, she knocked him to the ground and raised her sword for a finishing blow. Kimberly shot an arrow at Scorpina, distracting her long enough for Jason to get up and strike a nasty blow to her midsection.

"You pesky power cu-" Scorpina was cut off when Jason kicked her in the face and landed another blow with the sword.

Trini and Zack fought back to back, trying, unsuccessfully, to fend off the Putties. "Bitch, you gotta throw them back! Don't let them advance, ho!" Zack screeched.

"...fuck off!" Trini shouted, throwing one putty into three others, watching them dismantle.

"Nice, one, T!" Zack shouted as he threw a putty into one of Kimberly's stray arrows. "Bitch, if you don't learn how to aim correctly, you'd best put that away!"

Scorpina knocked Jason down again, with a swift blow to his stomach followed by one to his head. Attempting to finish him again, Billy intervened and a struck Scorpina with his Power Lance. Scorpina retaliate and threw him away into Zack and Trini. "Fuck, dude! Can't you not get knocked on your ass in a fight?" Zack bitched.

Kimberly shot another arrow at Scorpina, missing by a few feet. "Shit!" she cursed as Scorpina tackled her and beat her mercilessly.

"Kimberly!" Jason screamed in rage, delivering a hard kick to Scorpina's side. Scorpina doubled over in pain as Jason delivered more kicks to her midsection. "You. Fucking. Bitch. You. Mother. Fucking. Bitch." Jason punctuated each word with a kick, unaware of the mounting Putties behind him. "Don't hurt my friends!"

"But your friends are so...breakable," Scorpina said with a sneer as the Putties grabbed him.

"Jason, look out!" Trini called two seconds before Jason was overtaken by Putties and thrown in Kimberly.

"Shit, this isn't working," Jason said as Scorpina got up, seemingly unharmed.

"Jas, quit eating dirt and come up with a plan!" Zack hollered.

"Everyone...attack together!" Jason commanded, sword held high above his head.

The Rangers charged at Scorpina only to be thrown back again, their attack unsuccessful. The Putties surrounded them, blocking off any form of escape. _Jason, think quick, think quick. You gotta get us out of this. _Jason chided himself. "Guys, we have to form the Power Blaster!"

"How?" Kimberly cried as a Putty bitch-slapped her, knocking her Power Bow out of her hand, and subsequently out of reach.

"Kimberly!" Zack shouted.

"Get the Bow," Kimberly cried frantically, "before she does!" Zack looked around desperately and finally found the bow, it flew into his hands, connecting with his axe.

"Phenomenal!" Billy exclaimed, throw his lance towards Zack, watching it somehow, as if magnetically, combine with the Power Weapons. Trini followed suit, throwing in her daggers, along with Jason, completing it with his sword.

"This is absolutely fabulous!" Jason exclaimed, the Rangers gathering around the newly created Power Blaster. "Alright, get ready, set...FIRE!" Jason shouted and a flash of bright light shot out of the Blaster and hit Scorpina in the chest, knocking her down. The light spread out, eliminating the last Putties and then vanished.

Scorpina scrambled to her feet, clutching her sword with the last of her energy she retreated with an "I'll be back, you Power Twats!"

_A/N: The title is taken from Within Temptation's song "Ice Queen"._


	5. Arc 1 Ascension: 5 You Can Do It

Metamorphosis  
Arc 1: Ascension  
Chapter 5:  
"You Can Do It"

Sitting in Chemistry class, Billy sat at the lab table taking notes and studying the chemical changes in the different vials. Trini sat next to him, monitoring the changes and giving discussion on the project.

"So, is it a base or an acid?" Trini asked.

"It's a base. Remember," said Billy looking at the strip of paper they used to dip into the mixture for the experiment, "if the little paper is bluish, then it's a base. If it's red, then the mixture is an acid."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," Trini giggled, already knowing that but loving his explanation.

"It's okay," Billy replied, "I understand that it can be a little difficult to remember."

"Uh huh," said Trini, "so, what are you doing after school?"

"Well," Billy answered, "I have homework."

"Other than that," said Trini, trying to drop a hint.

"There's nothing else but I really want to do my homework and study for the final…"

"The final is in two months."

"Yeah, I know but I want to be prepared."

"Oh," Trini looked down in disappointment but decided it probably would not be worth it.

"But, I wanted to stop by the Juice Bar with Jason," Billy smiled, "maybe you can come with us since we're a team."

"Okay," Trini grinned happily, "I'll see you there."

At that, the bell rang and they were allowed to leave class after cleaning up the lab table. Leaving the class, however, Trini ran into Bulk and Skull.

"Hey, there chink," said Bulk.

"Yeah! Chink!" Skull laughed, brainlessly.

Wanting to curse them out but not feeling the courage to do so, Trini struggled to figure out a proper come back.

"Where ya goin' little chink?" said Bulk.

"Yeah! Where ya going?" Skull repeated.

"I'm leaving. Class is over," Trini replied.

"Speaking of class, I have some homework for you to do," said Bulk.

"I am NOT doing your homework," Trini practically yelled.

"I didn't say you had a choice," said Bulk slightly pushing her.

"Ugh! Why can't you just do it yourself?" Trini growled.

"Because your little chinky brain can do it so much better than ours, besides, we got shit to do!" said Bulk.

"I just can't do it. It's too much and I just," Trini paused "I just want this to stop!"

Right after saying this, Trini tried to push her way passed the two bullies but they both aggressively shoved her against a locker.

"Owwie!" Trini yelled.

"Get the fuck away from her!" said Zack pushing the two boys away with as much force as possible.

"Fucking bastard," said Bulk who was on the floor, "I'll get you for that!"

"How? By sitting on me?" Zack wisecracked.

"Fuck you!" Bulk spat and fled with Skull in hot pursuit.

"You a'ight?" said Zack, helping Trini.

"Umm, yeah… I have to get to class," said Trini, shaken as she went to class.

"Whatever," said Zack as he walked off campus, cutting class.

""""""""""'

"YOU FAILED!" Rita screeched at Scorpina, "I thought you were undefeatable!"

"I was but," Scorpina gulped, "their Power weapons were just too much to handle! You have to believe me!"

Rita glared at her, too infuriated for words.

"Please forgive me, my Queen," Scorpina begged on her knees, "I am sorry for having failed you."

"Ugh," said Rita, having a headache upon hearing this, "I clearly underestimated those Power Bitches."

"They are powerful," said Scorpina.

"Yes, but, I think I have an idea. FINSTER!" Rita yelled.

"Yes, my Queen?" Finster squeaked.

"Is the machine ready yet?" Rita growled.

"Yes, my Queen, I am preparing it to be used right now," said Finster.

"Good! Make me a monster!" Rita ordered.

"Coming right up!" said Finster as he worked swiftly on the machine. First, he took out a small figurine that he had made from the fourth dimension.

Then, he put the figurine into the machine, which then created the monster.

"Grrr argh!"

"Whoa," said Rita, impressed, "who is this?"

"This would be the Dark Warrior," said Finster who was proudly complimenting himself as he looked at the ninja-like creature, "he uses his samurai sword which will flawlessly aid him when he faces the Power Rangers."

"Good," Rita grinned evilly, turning to Scorpina, "You will go with the Dark Warrior to finish off those Power Cunts. Understood?"

"Yes, my Queen," said Scorpina bowing.

"Now go!" Rita screamed and teleported the two, along with some Putties, to Earth.

As soon as school ended, Trini made her way to the Juice Bar, excited to see the others. As she walked, she contemplated on what it meant now that she was a Power Ranger.

"What does it all mean?" She asked herself, "And, why us? Out of everyone in this world, why did he choose us? Or, more like, why did he choose me? What's so special about me?"

Then, suddenly, she noticed some Putties appearing not too far away from the Juice Bar. Not hesitating, Trini ran into a nearby alleyway. Making sure nobody was in sight, she took out her Morpher and muttered, "Saber-toothed tiger!"

The moment that she transformed into her yellow uniform, her helmet in the shape of a Saber-toothed tiger's head, she prepared herself for hand-to-hand combat with the Putties. Ensuring that the people nearby would not get hurt, she drove the Putties away from the Juice Bar and used her energy to defeat the Putties. Upon defeat, the Putties turned to dust and the Yellow Ranger stealthily returned to her secluded alleyway to De-Morph back into her regular form.

Seconds after De-Morphing, Trini's Morphing device began to beep, indicating that Zordon was trying to communicate with her. Realizing this, she selected a button on the device to answer the call.

"Yes, Zordon?" She answered.

"Trini, a gang of Putties has appeared near the Juice Bar in Angel Grove," Zordon responded.

"Yeah, I know. I just fought them," said Trini, feeling that this conversation was a bit useless.

"Of course," said Zordon, "however, that is not the only threat occurring in Angel Grove. Trini, I request that you and the others come to my Command Center immediately. There is something important I need to discuss with you about the current situation."

"Umm, okay," said Trini, confused.

At the Juice Bar, Jason and Billy were sitting together, talking as friends, while Kimberly sat there filing her nails. Zack, detached from the group, sat on the side and groaned from boredom. At that, Trini burst in and quickly joined them at their table to share the news.

"Guys," she said, breathlessly, and lowered her voice, "there's an emergency. You-know-who just contacted me and told me to tell you guys we need to head back to the base."

"You mean Voldemort?" said Kimberly.

"No, you white stupid ass," said Zack, "she means the faggot in a glass tube."

"Yeah, him," said Trini, "let's go!"

"Right!" said Jason as he led them to a secluded spot to teleport to the Command Center.

""""""""""'

When the Rangers arrived at the Command Center, they immediately turned their focus to Zordon, the projected head figure in what appeared to be an over-sized glass tube. At his side, his short robotic servant, Alpha 5, began to furiously press buttons on the control panels surrounding the station.

"Welcome Rangers," Zordon greeted as he looked down upon them.

"What is he doing?" Kimberly asked, looking at Alpha.

"He is attempting to finish a project," Zordon answered, "which should be ready as soon as I am done giving you the explanation as to why you are here."

"Alright," said Kimberly as she stood there among the others.

"I have summoned you all here because a new threat from Rita has appeared in Angel Grove," said Zordon, "observe the Viewing Globe."

The Rangers all looked to see Scorpina and the Dark Warrior working together to cause mayhem on the streets. As usual, Putties aided the duo in the destruction.

"The Putties," said Trini, "they must have arrived when I fought those Putties by the Juice Bar!"

"You fought Putties outside the Juice Bar?" said Billy, impressed.

"By yourself?" said Jason, annoyed, "why didn't you say anything?"

"Look," said Trini," Zordon told me to get you guys to come here. I didn't get any time to tell you."

"Oh, okay," said Jason, "but still, next time, please tell us. We are a team and we need to stick together."

"I'm sorry," said Trini, "you know I respect the team."

Jason smiled at her.

"Jason is right," said Zordon, "you are a team which is why you will be working together to drive away Scorpina and the Dark Warrior."

"Why the fuck can't we just kill them and get it over with?" Zack protested.

"Because Power Rangers, by law, are not allowed to take the lives of others," said Zordon, "your only duty is to defend."

"That's gay," said Zack.

Jason secretly glared at Zack for that comment.

"You will drive them away; however, you may need to use a force that is even greater than your Power weapons," Zordon admitted.

"What force do you speak of?" asked Billy.

"Probably his gigantic cock," Zack joked.

"Shut the fuck up and let him explain it!" Jason ordered.

"Fuck you, white boy!" yelled Zack.

"Rangers, please," said Zordon, getting a headache, "this is a serious situation and I need your full attention."

The Rangers went quiet so they could hear what they needed to know.

"Thank you," Zordon sighed in frustration.

"This is why I said don't choose teenagers, but you never listen to me," muttered Alpha who would have rolled his eyes if he had some.

"Anyway," said Zordon, ignoring Alpha, "this great force that I am about to give to you is what I assigned Alpha to finish working on by the time you leave."

The Rangers waited to know what it was.

"This great force will be," said Zordon, "your Dinozords."

"Dinozord?" said Jason.

"If I may ask," said Billy, "what's a Dinozord?"

"Observe the Viewing Globe and you will see your individual Dinozord," he explained.

The Rangers looked at the Viewing Globe and saw five machine-like beasts: one red tyrannosaurus, one yellow Saber-toothed tiger, one black mastodon, one pink pterodactyl, and one blue triceratops. All five of these seemed to correspond with the Rangers' inner animals, which made it obvious, which one belonged to them.

"If you have not figured it out yet, each Dinozord, or you can just call it a Zord, is meant to represent each one of your powers," said Zordon, "meaning that you will have the ability to command your corresponding Zord when you find it necessary to summon it."

"So, we get to use these whenever we really need them in battle, right?" said Trini.

"Yes," said Zordon, "and, if needed, all five of these Zords can combine into one mighty fighting machine which is called a Megazord."

As he said this, the Dinozords on the Viewing Globe began to assemble themselves into a tank-like format. The yellow Saber-toothed tiger converted itself by flattening its limbs to the ground and used the wheels on its underbelly to allow the rest of it, as a whole, to keep moving forward. To the left of the yellow Saber-toothed tiger, the blue triceratops did the same with its limbs and used the wheels on its underbelly as well to keep moving. Inserting its legs into the blue and yellow Zords, the red tyrannosaurus was able to keep the two Zords together as they traveled at the same speed. Then, separating itself from the body, the black mastodon's head attached itself to the red tyrannosaurus' chest while the rest of the black Dinozord's body converted its legs into mighty canons. In doing this, the black mastodon's canon-shaped body merged itself from the backside of the tyrannosaurus, placing its canons on opposite sides of the tank, ready to perform an offensive blast attack if necessary. Perching itself on top of the red tyrannosaurus, the pink pterodactyl Zord stood gracefully as it completed the Megazord's tank-formed shape.

"This is what the Megazord looks like in, what is known as, Tank Mode," Zordon explained, "however, when it is needed, the Megazord may also change into another form."

Displayed on the Viewing Globe, the Rangers watched as the Megazord, in Tank Mode, began to transform itself again. Starting with the black mastodon, the Megazord converted its canons into black armored arms, forming hands where the guns used to be. Located at the bottom of the Megazord, the yellow Saber-toothed tiger and the blue triceratops were able to raise their bodies upward along with the rest of the Zords attached. After raising their bodies, putting the Megazord in a standing position, the triceratops and Saber-toothed tiger remained to keep their heads flat against the ground, forming what appeared to be feet. During this action, the pink pterodactyl quickly took flight and waited as the head of the mastodon removed itself from the upper body of the red tyrannosaurus. As soon as the black mastodon's head placed itself in the left hand of the Megazord, to be used as a shield, the pink pterodactyl swiftly launched itself in front of the red tyrannosaurus. However, before joining itself with the red Zord's torso, the pink pterodactyl immediately folded its head and wings inward. Taking note of the oncoming new chest armor, the red Zord hastily stored the front part of the tyrannosaurus' head structure inside of its front centerpiece. The second that the pink Zord latched itself onto the red, forming the indestructible chest armor, the red Zord was able to take the remainder of the tyrannosaurus' head and convert it into a more human looking form with an armored mask, completed by having two red curve-pointed horns at the top.

When it finished this astonishing transformation, the Rangers' jaws dropped as they watched the Megazord take its new warrior-like shape. Using the yellow Saber-toothed tiger and blue triceratops as legs, the Megazord stood gallantly. It held up its heavily armored arms, formed by the black mastodon, in a fighting position while showing off its protected torso, shaped by the pink pterodactyl. Underneath it all, however, it was the red tyrannosaurus that kept this mighty figure together and gave it the ability to look on with its pure sun-gold eyes. Through it all, the Megazord appeared ready to fight the forces of evil, that was what appealed the Rangers most.

"This form of the Megazord would be called Battle Mode," Zordon finally addressed, "out of all the weapons that I could give you, the Megazord will be the most powerful."

The Rangers nodded to show they understood.

"When using the Megazord," Zordon continued, "it is always possible to run low on its energy."

Looking on at the Megazord in the Viewing Globe, the Rangers watched as it summoned an almighty sword from the sky, catching it.

"That would be the Megazord's Power Sword," said Zordon, "no matter how low on energy the Megazord is, this weapon will always be able to re-energize it and it can even be used as a power source substitute if need be."

"How are we supposed to be able to figure all this stuff out in time to defeat our enemies?" Trini asked.

"As you did with your Morphing and your Power Weapons," Zordon explained, "it will come to you instinctively. However, when it comes to the use of the Megazord, it would be wise to use it mostly during the daytime for it is only solar powered. Also, it would be wise to mostly use the Megazord when a situation becomes too difficult for even your Power Blaster to handle. Do you understand?"

All five Rangers nodded to prove that they understood.

"Good," said Zordon, "now that you have your Zords as an option in battle, you may go and use them to drive Scorpina and the Dark Warrior away from earth if they become too overwhelming for you."

Once again, the Rangers agreed.

"Very well," said Zordon, "good luck in this battle, Rangers. You may need it."

"Thank you Zordon," said Jason, looking up at their leader, "you can count on us. Rangers, are you ready?"

The other four nodded, taking out their Morphers as he did.

"Good," Jason answered, "cause its Morphin' time!"

"Mastodon!" yelled Zack, holding out his Morpher and transforming into the Black Ranger.

"Pterodactyl!" Kimberly shouted, using her Morpher to change into the Pink Ranger.

"Triceratops!" Billy concentrated as he used his device to convert into the Blue Ranger.

"Saber-toothed tiger!" said Trini, while quickly morphing to the Yellow Ranger.

"Tyrannosaurus!" Jason roared as he morphed into the Red Ranger.

"Now that you are Morphed," Zordon commanded, "go and save your planet."

"Right!" they all answered together and used their Ranger powers to teleport back to Earth.

Scorpina and the Dark Warrior worked side by side to cause chaos in Angel Grove as they continued their search to destroy the Power Rangers.

"Where are those pesky Rangers?" Dark Warrior yelled.

"Give it time, my dear friend, they will show up," Scorpina chuckled menacingly as she ordered the Putties around.

"Okay, but this waiting is getting on my nerves!" said Dark Warrior, impatiently. Then, without realizing it, the Power Rangers appeared and struck him with their Power weapons simultaneously not wanting to waste any time.

"Argh!" Dark Warrior grunted in pain as he fell forward from the blast. Noticing this, Scorpina turned to look at the Rangers who took a shot at her.

Narrowly dodging the hit, Scorpina used this chance to launch into the air while tossing her crescent-shaped blade to knock the Power weapons out of the Ranger's hands. When her weapon did its job, she reclaimed it as soon as she landed then used as much speed as she could to quickly beat all the Rangers down.

"Dark Warrior! Get your ass up and help me!" Scorpina ordered.

"Ugh, you try getting hit in the back all at once with those stupid weapons!" Dark Warrior groaned as he stood up once more to regain himself. By the time he got up, he was able to use his agility to send fast attacks to the Rangers with his samurai sword.

"Damn it! How do we beat these guys?" yelled Trini as she got slashed in the chest by Dark Warrior's blade.

"That's a good question," Scorpina laughed, "you can't!"

At that, Scorpina sent an attack at all five of the Rangers with her own blade, knocking them all off their feet.

"We need to get the Power Blaster!" Jason ordered as he scrambled to get his Power Sword, and the others followed suit with their own Power weapons.

"Putties, don't let them get to their weapons!" Scorpina ordered as she sent a blow to the Zack's mid-section, knocking him breathlessly away as the Putties began to circle the Rangers.

"Dark Warrior, destroy the Black Ranger while he's on the ground," she commanded, "I'm going to finish off the others."

"Of course!" said the Dark Warrior as he made his way to Zack; however, he was not successful for Zack quickly pulled out his Blade Blaster.

Shooting his powerful gun, Zack caused the Dark Warrior to get pushed back from the force of the shot, taking just enough time for him to regain himself.

"Na-uh! The Black Ranger ain't dying first!" Zack retorted and then roundhouse kicked Dark Warrior away, giving him time to re-summon his Power Axe before the monster can come back. Swinging the blade with the handle of the axe, Zack was able to make full impact on the Dark Warrior's torso, which sent him flying towards the others. Now, having the distance to his advantage, Zack switched the weapon over to the other side to use the canon. Firing the Power Axe, Zack hollered, "Eat this!"

"Owwie!" Dark Warrior cried as the blast hit him.

"You wimp!" Scorpina yelled as she turned to his side, "you couldn't handle one-" before she finished her statement, Zack fired at her too, knocking her down long enough for the others to regain their weapons.

"Thanks, man!" said Jason as he swung his Power Sword at a bunch of Putties, killing them instantly. On his left, Trini did the same with her Power Daggers while Billy used his Power Lance to finish the rest of the Putties off. Realizing he needed help, Kimberly went to Zack's aid to fight against the Dark Warrior, swinging her Power Bow, as he swung his Power Axe, they both took on the monster successfully.

"Damn it!" Scorpina yelled out, "Empress Rita, we need more power!"

On the moon, Rita looked down at Earth through her gigantic telescope to see that her warriors were failing again.

"Ugh! I sent TWO of them and it still isn't enough?" Rita complained, "I've had it! These Power Cunts are NOT going to win! I refuse to let them!"

"What are you going to do, your highness?" Baboo asked.

"Yeah, what are you going to do?" echoed Squatt.

"Well, they haven't won yet," she replied with gritted teeth, "I will use a spell to make Scorpina and Dark Warrior into giants! The Power Cunts will have nothing against that!"

As she said this, she used her wand to make Scorpina and Dark Warrior into giants.

"Oh no!" Kimberly squeaked in fear.

"What are we to do?" Billy asked.

"Oh, I know!" said Zack, "We need to summon our Dinozords!"

"You're right," said Trini, "we have no other choice."

"Let's do it!" Jason commanded, "Tyrannosaurus Dinozord Power!"

"I'm with ya! Mastodon Dinozord Power!"

"Triceratops Dinozord Power!"

"Saber-toothed tiger Dinozord Power!"

"Pterodactyl Dinozord Power!"

The moment they were all summoned, the five mighty Dinozords appeared.

"Let's go!" said Jason, teleporting himself inside the red tyrannosaurus so he can operate it.

"Prodigious!" said Billy who did the same for his blue triceratops.

"Fo' sho!" said Zack, going to his black mastodon.

"Here it goes!" said Trini, appearing inside the yellow Saber-toothed tiger.

"Nice stereo!" said Kimberly as she appeared in the pink pterodactyl.

"What's this?" Scorpina questioned as she realized the Dinozords had her and Dark Warrior surrounded.

"It's time to put a stop to your evil!" yelled Jason, "Rangers, attack!"

All five Rangers used their Dinozords to attack. The mastodon used its mighty tusks to launch missiles, the pterodactyl shot fire from its wings, the triceratops uses its horns to shoot rockets, the Saber-toothed tiger shot a laser from its tail, and the tyrannosaurus blasted a hot flame from its mouth. Getting hit, simultaneously, by each Dinozord, Scorpina and the Dark Warrior were weakened.

"Alright, we got 'em on the ropes, let's take it to Tank Mode!" Jason ordered as the other Rangers commanded their Dinozords to shift into the massive tank-like structure. As soon as the Zords merged into Tank Mode, the Rangers prepared to launch their Zord attacks as one.

"Ready, aim, and FIRE!" they all yelled together as they blasted the canons, fire-breath, rockets, and other laser blasts from the super-sized tank.

Getting hit by it all without even having a chance to fight back, Scorpina stepped away to recuperate. However, Dark Warrior was not so lucky for the Rangers had a special plan for him.

"Switching to Battle Mode!" Jason ordered.

"Right!" the others obeyed as they all commanded their Zords to change once more. At the order from the Rangers, the Megazord responded to them with a robotic voice saying, "Megazord sequence has been initiated.

"Alright!" said Jason, excited to witness this, "Get ready, guys!"

When the Megazord finally reached Battle Mode it finished the transformation by saying with the same mechanical voice, "Megazord activated!"

Standing tall to put an end to this fight, the Megazord faced the Dark Warrior, ready to strike once the order was given.

"Wha-what is this?" Dark Warrior panicked.

"Time to meet your doom, Dark Warrior!" Jason yelled out, "I call upon the Power Sword!"

Lightning appeared in the sky as the Power Sword landed in the Megazord's right hand.

"N-no! It can't end like this!" Dark Warrior cried as it tried to prepare itself to fight back.

"Prepare for the final attack!" Jason commanded the Megazord as it raised the Power Sword to the sky, absorbing the energy with lightning crackling around it, "Yes! Now, GO FOR IT!"

At that, the Megazord launched itself and slashed the Power Sword right through the Dark Warrior, not even giving the monster the chance to beg for mercy.

"NOOOOO!" was all Dark Warrior could scream as he explosively fell to his death.

"H-how could they have," Scorpina could not even finish her statement she was so shocked by this.

"You're next Scorpina!" Jason yelled as the Megazord turned and held up its sword again, getting ready to strike at its next victim.

"Na-uh! I'm outta here!" said Scorpina. Before the Megazord could successfully land its attack, Scorpina disappeared.

"Damn it!" yelled Jason, in frustration, "we could have beaten her too!"

"Relax," said Trini, "we did what we could. Now, let's report back to Zordon." "Right!" the others replied.

On the moon, Rita was furious with the defeat that the Power Rangers had over her and her magick.

"Why can't I get a break from these Power Twats?" Rita complained as Scorpina made her return, "You! You failed me again Scorpina!"

"I am sorry, my Queen," said Scorpina, "I almost had them but the Megazord was just too powerful."

"Don't give me excuses, Scorpina!" Rita reprimanded, "Last time I checked, it was YOU who dismantled the last one!"

"Yes, but this Megazord was a lot more powerful than the last," Scorpina explained, "There was no way for me to defeat it. I'm sorry my Queen but you're going to need to come up with another plan."

"You're right, Scorpina," said Rita, "another plan will definitely help since the last one obviously didn't work. It will take time but we will not give up."

"Of course not, your evilness," Scorpina bowed, "after suffering two losses in a row, I want revenge against these Power Rangers. I want them dead."

"Do not worry," Rita chuckled, "for I think I have an idea."

Arriving back at the Command Center, the Rangers, in their human forms, reported to Zordon about what happened.

"I am very proud of you all," said Zordon, "although, I would have preferred you not destroy the Dark Warrior. However, I do realize that you had no other choice. Good work, Rangers."

"Thanks, Zordon," said Jason.

"We are really proud to help save our planet," said Trini.

"Yeah, and it was astronomical how well those Dinozords functioned," said Billy.

"I just hope that we can stop Rita and her evil plans," said Kimberly.

"I'm down for anything, Zordon," said Zack, "just give me the orders."

"Very well," Zordon smiled proudly, "you may all return home. I will contact you whenever Rita attacks again. Until then, see you next time."

"Right!" the five teenagers responded cheerfully and went home to rest.

_A/N: The title is taken from the No Doubt song, "You Can Do It"_


	6. Arc 1 Ascension: 6 Temporary Insanity

Metamorphosis  
Arc 1: Ascension  
Chapter 6:  
"Temporary Insanity"

Jason walked to his locked, singing in falsetto, "when I'm not with you I lose my mind, give me a sign…it me ba-" stopping his personal concert when he noticed Zack coming and switching to something more masculine, "somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me-"  
"Were you just singing Britney-fucking-Spears?" Zack asked, shocked.  
"I…N-no?" Jason replied  
"You were," Zack glared.  
"O-of course, not! I can't stand her!" Jason barked.  
"…Whatever, anyway, I was going to ask if you heard any word from Zordon yet? It's been a week and he hasn't kept contact," Zack asked.  
"Not a thing," Jason replied.  
"Fine, guess the stupid mother fucker in a glass tube wants us in the fucking dark all the time. I hate this shit," Zack said, "whatever, I'm outta here." He turned to leave just as Ashley approached Jason.  
"Hey, Jason!" Ashley said, making sure her breasts stuck out noticeably.  
"Er…hi, Ashley," Jason replied uncomfortably, "what's up?"  
"You still have to make up that date you missed last week," she said stepping forward, pressing her breasts up against his chest.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot, but I was grounded all last week," Jason replied, backing up into the wall, trying to get away from Ashley's breasts.  
"Well, how about tonight we see a movie and get dinner?" Ashley asked, crushing her breasts up against Jason again.  
"I…don't think I can, I have a martial arts class tonight," Jason said hastly, looking for a way out, not seeing one.  
Rocky couldn't stifle his laugh as he walked by. The picture was perfect, Ashley with her breasts crashing against Jason's chest, and Jason looking like he's about to bolt out the door and not stop running until he reached China. "I'll see you in class, Jason," he said with a wink.  
"What a fag," Ashley whispered with a glare. Quicker than Jason could react to stop her, she knocked Rocky over. Ashley bent down, seemingly to help Rocky get his books up, trying to give Jason a good view of her thong. "If you know what's good for you, you'll back the fuck off," she whispered with a deadly gleam in her eyes.  
"Yo, Rocky, you okay?" Jason asked softly, handing a book to him.  
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Rocky said, keeping his emotions in check.

asdfasdfasdfasdf

Jason sat quietly at his desk, taking notes, but not really paying attention to the lecture. His mind kept going back to the hallway, he could've sworn he saw Ashley knock Rocky down, but she said that he simply tripped. He looked over at him, all the way across the room. Rocky turned his head to look at him, quick smile and he was back to his notes.  
Kimberly sat in the back of the class, chewing on her pencil, silently praying for the bell to ring. Her attention drifting from the teacher to her fellow classmates, and subsequently to Jason. She watched him for a minute, then followed his gaze all the way across the room to Rocky DeSantos. _Oh..interesting,_ Kim smirked, then noticed Ashley glaring daggers at Rocky's way, _and it just got more interesting._  
"Okay, class, you will split into pairs – for those of you who are failing math, that means a group of two – and work on the assignment, which will be waiting on my desk, it is due tomorrow. I understand there will be talking during this, but please, keep it at a tolerable level," the teacher instructed. Ashley perked up, and rose from her seat, fully intending to make Jason her lab partner, but Kimberly intervened when she was not three feet from her intended target.  
"Hi, Kimberly…could you please move? You're blocking Jason from me," Ashley said with an all too-perky smile on her face.  
"Oh, well, I really need a lab partner, and there's no one else I'd rather work with," Kimberly embellished.  
"Oh, but, I really want to work with Jason," Ashley insisted, nodding her head.  
"Oh, I'm sure he won't mind if you don't work with him just this one time," Kimberly said, grabbing Ashley's wrist and dragging her back to her desk. She turned around and winked at a very confused red ranger and mouthed the words 'you owe me' as Rocky approached Jason.  
"Hey, Jason," Rocky said with a smile, "wanna be partners?"  
"Sure," Jason laughed, "I'll get the assignment."  
Ashley glared at the two men, watching them laugh as they did their work. She glared even more daggers at Rocky, her mind working at breakneck speed, thinking of how to dispose of him.  
"So, how are we gonna go about this?" Kimberly asked, trying to draw Ashley's attention away from the two men. "Ashley, how," growing frustrated at her lack of concentration, Kimberly began to yell, "ASHLEY!"  
"Kimberly Hart! Lower your voice or leave my classroom!" the teacher scolded.  
Jason smirked at Kimberly, who just sent him a dirty look. Ashley finally gave Kimberly her attention. "Hey! Why isn't this done yet?" she demanded.  
"Because…I am not doing this all by myself!" Kimberly retorted.  
"Hey, you're the one who wanted to be partners," Ashley admonished.  
"Well, I'm an idiot," Kimberly replied.  
'Well, no shit," said Ashley, "I left my books at my desk, I'll be right back." With swiftness she made her way across the room to her desk, looking at the two boys, she caught Rocky rubbing his groin against Jason's ass, trying to make it look like he was reaching over him to retrieve a pen.  
"Knock it off," Jason laughed, "that's not…it's very inappropriate," his voice barely above a whisper.  
Boiling with rage, Ashley acted on pure instinct, she devised a plan, hardly foolproof, but workable, and chose her moment. Walking past Rocky, she "accidentally" tripped and knocked him over the lab table, causing him to hit his head hard on the floor.  
"Oww…fuck me," Rocky groaned, holding his head in pain.  
"Oops, sorry," Ashley faked a concerned look, and giggled, "I'm such a klutz sometimes." Thinking she had gotten away with it, she returned to her lab partner, however…  
"Ashley Hammond, I saw that and don't think I didn't, go straight to the principle's office!" the teacher hollered.  
"Shit!" Ashley muttered under her breath, then quickly collected her belongings and left.  
"Does he need to see the Nurse?" the teacher asked.  
"I…I'm not sure, but I'll take him down now," Jason replied, helping a dizzy Rocky up off the floor.

""""""""""'

"Your girlfriend's a real psycho," Rocky said from the cot in the corner of the room, holding an icepack on his head.  
"She's not my girlfriend," Jason replied, sitting in a chair across the room, "she just thinks she is."  
"Weird girl," Rocky said as a nurse walked over to check his head again.  
"It's gonna leave a nasty welt, but it should be fine. How is your vertigo? Can you focus yet?"  
"My what?" he blinked, then he realized what she had meant. "Oh, yeah, the world's not spinning as fast as it was before, it's getting better" Rocky said softly, trying to relax, "however, this headache is kicking my ass."  
"Can't do anything about that, sorry, we're not allowed to give out aspirin," the nurse replied.  
After she left the room, Jason said, "I have some in my car if you'd like me to get it."  
"Do I have to beg?" was Rocky's reply.  
"Alright, I'll be right back," Jason said with a chuckle.  
Rocky closed his eyes, focus on the comforting darkness that was overtook him. Sighing in frustration, he found himself unable to concentrate on relaxing, instead he found himself stressing over the day's events. His mind wandering until he heard the door open and close.  
"Jason, is that you?"  
No reply.  
"Jason, don't play games with me right now. _So_ not in the mood."  
Something fell off a nearby shelf, shattering on the floor.  
Rocky opened his eyes and looked around the room, seeing no one but so sure someone had come in. He spotted a broken vase on the floor, but no one around who could have broke it.  
"Okay, whomever is there, I don't believe in ghosts, and your scare tactics are so not working with me, so either show yourself or fuck off."  
Ashley rose from behind the counter, her hands placed behind her back, with a twisted smile plastered on her face. All of Rocky's instincts told him to run, but as it was useless because the world was still spinning. In his attempt to sit up, Rocky found that all that did was make him want to hurl, so he laid himself back down.  
"What do you want, Ashley? Haven't you already done enough?"  
"What I want…is for you to leave my boyfriend alone!"  
"He's not your goddamn boyfriend!"  
"Yes, he is! He just doesn't know it yet!" she screamed, her eyes bugging out.  
"Have you ever considered seeing a psychiatrist? 'Cause I am seriously getting some unstable vibes from you."  
"You're one to talk, faggot, you and your faggotry. You're the unstable one. What's the matter? Daddy didn't give you enough love growing up?" Ashley teased.  
"Bitch, don't talk about things you know nothing about," Rocky snarled, wishing he was able to stand up.  
"Whatever you say, whore. Just stay away from Jason if you know what's good for you," Ashley threatened and, in a huff, she left.

""""""""""'

"So, how's Rocky?" Kimberly asked, sitting in her favorite chair at the Juice Bar, surrounded by Jason, Trini and Billy.  
"He's all right, said he'd be here later, got a nasty welt on his head, so ignore it," Jason replied.  
"Why would Ashley do such a thing? I mean, it's so…not like her," Trini pondered.  
"I don't know, why do girls fight over guys? Why do guys play with girl's emotions? Why do fools fall in love? Who really cares, she did it, she's a psycho," said Kimberly.  
"Mating rituals, perhaps?" Billy queried.  
With a sigh of disapproval, Kimberly said, "you have so much to learn."  
"Hey, I think Zack's here," Trini said before calling him over.  
"What the fuck is wrong with this bitch?" Zack muttered before making his way over to his teammates. "Hey, guys and gals," he said with a nod at Kimberly.  
"Get over yourself," Kimberly said nastily.  
"Only when you get under me," Zack smirked.  
A half-hour passed quickly with the Rangers talking about subjects ranging from their powers, school events and, surprisingly from Zack, politics.  
"I mean, this shit is just so unbalanced, we're spending millions on our military, when we should be trying to get out of this deficit," Zack finished.  
"Wow, coming from you, that's scary," Billy said, his face pale.  
"Shut up, wonderbread," Zack snapped back.  
Jason took another look around, he'd been waiting for about an hour for Rocky to show up. He mentally groaned when he finally saw him, a baseball cap covering his welt. Ashley showed up moments later, like a shadow or a fly. Jason was about to call him over, when-  
"Hey, Ashley! Come get your boy!" Zack interrupted.  
Ashley obliged gladly, of course, as Kimberly, Trini, and Billy mentally face-palmed. Jason leered at Zack and watched Rocky dejectedly take a seat across the room.  
"Hey, baby," Ashley said, then promptly shoved her tongue down Jason's mouth.  
Kimberly, more than a little shocked, pried Ashley off of her friend, "hey, bitch, he's not interested."  
Jason looked around for Rocky and noticed him running out the door, _was he crying?_ and quickly followed him.  
"Baby!" Ashley called out trying to grab him, only to be restrained by Kimberly.

""""""""""'

"Rocky! Wait up!" Jason called after him, following him out into the rainstorm, wind whipping at his face and eyes. In a mere matter of seconds, his clothes were drenched.  
Rocky laughed bitterly, his back to Jason, "I thought you said she wasn't your girl."  
"She's no-"  
"Then what the fuck was that?" Rocky screamed, his cheeks were tear stained, although Jason could only tell because he could see, just barely, that Rocky was crying, anyone else wouldn't be able to tell through the downpour.  
"What was that?" Jason's voice rising, barely able to control his temper now, "that was some crazy bitch being a crazy bitch! And why the fuck are you getting so worked up over it? I-"  
"Why? _Why? _ I'll tell you why!" Rocky screamed, then crushed his mouth to Jason's, his hand stroking his cheek, gently as more tears cascaded down his face.. Having calmed down a bit, he pulled himself away, and an awkward silence fell between the two.  
Jason was confused, he thought Rocky was just playing, but now he saw it was different. He couldn't let this go on any further, he had to spare Rocky's heart. He couldn't ever return these feelings. It's not like Jason was gay or anything. _Nope, not gay, not at all. But why did I enjoy it? Why do I want to do it again? Oh, god, look at him…he was crying, he was hurt because Ashley…Ashley, oh, God I left her alone with my friends! That crazy bitch is in there with my friends and Rocky…God, Ashley can wait till later, this…_  
"Rocky, I..." Jason started, "I…Rocky…" unable to find the words, he fumbled badly. Taking a deep breath, he tried again, "Rocky…I-I can't do this, I mean I'm not, well, I don't think…maybe I…not that it wasn't nice, not that I didn't like it but…"  
Rocky turned and ran away, not able to take anymore. Ignoring Jason's calls for him to come back, he made his way home. Silently cursing whatever Gods were listening to him for making him such an idiot.

_A/N: the title is taken from the Alexz Johnson song, "Temporary Insanity".  
__Note #2: likes screwing with my seperation tags so excuse the oddness of some of them. Grr. Argh._


	7. Arc 1 Ascension: 7 Forget It

Metamorphosis  
Arc 1: Ascension  
Chapter 7:  
"Forget It"

Goldar, having been out of the fight for far too long, was getting restless staying on the moon. His muscles were stiff from not being used; his wounds were from his pervious fight was healed, but his pride was far from intact. Seething with rage, he wanted vengeance, and he wanted it now.

"My queen, shouldn't we attack soon? The Rangers are getting too comfortable," Goldar said brusquely.

"Yes, I am forming a plan to deal with them, Goldar," Rita said, obviously annoyed.

"Allow me to dispose of them, my Queen," Scorpina groveled on her knees, hoping Rita would give her the second chance she desired to prove herself.

"No, you have failed me once, you shall wait for my plan," Rita said coldly, "Halloween…that lovely day when all that wicked energy is released, we will bring the Power Rangers to their knees, then," she finished, slipping a mist of energy between her fingers.

"But my Queen, we can use this time to weaken The Rangers," Scorpina said.

'That way we will definitely crush them," Goldar added, slamming his fist down onto a table to emphasize his point.

"Silence, you useless monkey! And you, you parasitic little bitch, you will not disobey me! We will wait for Halloween, and you will follow my orders exactly as they are given!" Rita screeched. Scorpina resigned herself to follow Rita's orders; however, Goldar was not pleased.

""""""""""'

A light breeze swept through the Angel Grove Park while sun shone through the trees. It seemed as if nothing had happened in the Park; no showdown with Scorpina, no Rangers getting their asses handed to them. The only evidence of any disturbance was the potholes littering the earth.

Trini and Billy sat under the shade of a tree, their schoolwork laid out before them. Trini intently studied her math homework, while Billy focused on his Advanced Chem. With a groan of frustration, Trini slammed her book down on to the grass.

"Hey, Billy, do you have the answer to 4b? I can't seem to figure it out," Trini asked as flirtatiously as she could.

"Uh, yeah, it's 20.54."

"Shit! I got 43.71!" Trini shouted.

"Well, that's because you did it wrong, here, let me show you," Billy said, taking Trini's notebook from her and showing her the correct way to solve the problem.

"Hey, guys," Zack said, his schoolbag in hand, but strangely empty.

"Hello, Zack," Billy replied, not able to hide the distaste in his voice.

"So, have you heard anything from Mr. Asshole in a glass tube?" Zack quizzed them.

"No, not for about a month now," Trini responded morosely.

"Its just...the first week we were...chosen it was all action, action, action, now, it's been quiet. Either Zordon is up to something, or Rita retreated," Bill queried.

"Or maybe we're not Power Rangers, anymore," Zack mused.

"Hey! Why don't we turn the volume of our conversation up," Trini said irately, "I don't think my relatives in Vietnam heard you!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, maybe I should yell a little louder," Zack quipped.

"That's enough," Trini said with a glare.

Zack said nothing and started rifling through his book bag, finally finding what he wanted; he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"Ew! Those things are _so _nasty!" Kimberly said, appearing seemingly from out of nowhere.

"And hello to you too, Kimberly," Zack muttered.

"Could you please not light that cancer stick in my presence?" Billy complained.

"Oh, you're just a little bitch," Zack said, putting the cigarette away without much complaint.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, even though it seemed like an eternity, neither one knowing what to say or what to do. Zack stared into space while Billy and Trini working on their homework and Kimberly chewed gum at an obscenely loud volume. Finally, Kimberly broke the silence.

"So, now what? It's been real quiet lately," she said softly.

"I'm not sure," Billy said, finally realizing he hadn't seen Jason in days, "hey, has anyone seen Jason lately? He's been avoiding us like the Bubonic!"

"Well, we have Gym together, but he didn't seem to be focusing. Usually he's right on task, but today he was so out of it he got hit in the face with a basketball. If he was paying attention, he could have dodged it," Trini said.

"Just leave him alone for now," Kimberly chimed in, "he's just going through a lot of stuff."

"Yeah, but he needs to get over it, we need him as part of the team," Bill sighed.

"Who gives a fuck about McWhitey? Besides, if he's gonna choose his own personal problems over saving the world _every time_, why did he agree to join the team?" Zack said.

"Trust me, Zack, it's not like that," Kimberly said, trying to keep her cool, "this is big, just…let him be for now."

"It's weird, though, Rocky and Jason were such good friends, now they seem so distant," Trini mused.

"Yeah, can we change the subject?" Kimberly asked.

"I mean, up until a few weeks ago they were tight," Trini continued, completely oblivious to Kimberly's plea.

"No, really, let's change the top-"

"And now they're all non-talky and shit."

"I'm serious, Trini, please," Kimberly begged.

"And they're all avoid-y."

"I'm bulimic," Kimberly tried desperately.

"And it's just aggravating!"

"I love being ignored," Kimberly said with a glare.

"And it's really awkward when they have class together," Trini finished.

"It could just be a guy thing," Kimberly said with a groan of frustration.

"Well, whatever, fuck it, I'm bored," Zack announced.

"Hey, Billy," A pony-tailed passerby said.

"Oh, hey…er…I'm sorry, I forgot your name," Billy said, searching his memory for it.

"It's Tommy, and I was just wondering if you knew what the homework was for English?" the pony-tailed man, now know as Tommy, said.

"Oh, sure, hold on, let me find it," Billy said, searching his backpack for it, "oh, here it is, chapter 7, questions 1-5."

"Thanks."

"Any time," Billy said

Kimberly watched the man walk away with a star-struck look in her eyes. _Not bad, not bad at all, _she thought and quickly averted her eyes when she noticed her teammates had caught her staring. "What? I can't look?" Kimberly said, defensively.

""""""""""'

"Fucking Queen of my Ass!" Goldar howled bitterly from inside the dungeon. He picked up one of the Putties he had been sparing with and threw it as hard as he could against the far wall.

" She doesn't know what the FUCK she is doing!" he screamed as he shattered another Putty into pieces.

Scorpina, who had rushed into the room a few moments after Goldar's outburst, tried desperately to calm the golden monkey. "Goldar, you must control your temper! Do _not _let it get the better of you!"

"Shut the fuck up, you overgrown scarab!" Goldar snarled.

"Watch how you talk to me, monkey!" Scorpina shot back.

"Would both of you please keep quiet?" Finster scolded as he entered the room, "her Highness is in her Royal Chambers resting, and you know how she gets when her sleep is disturbed!"

"You mean," Goldar said, his tone lightening but at the same time taking on a sinister undertone, "after 200 years, the Bitch decided to finally take a nap?"

"Quiet, you fool!" Finster scolded, "if Baboo or Squatt heard you, they'd waste **no time** in telling the Queen!'

"Hmm…if she is asleep," he mused to himself, completely ignoring what Scorpina said, "then I will go and rid this planet of the Power Rangers myself! To Hell with her plan!"

"Do not be a fool!" Scorpina cautioned, "she will kill you as soon as she finds out."

"That is not you concern," Goldar said coldly before he teleported to Angel Grove.

""""""""""'

Jason threw his bag down on the floor, in a pile of clothes that hadn't been washed in weeks. Feeling to depressed to begin his homework, he flopped down on his bed and closed his eyes. Every moment from the Juice Bar replayed in his mind. Ashley kissing him, Rocky storming out into the…well, storm, Jason following him and eventually finding out that Rocky wanted more than friendship from Jason. His eyes watered from the memory; they shared a kiss that rocked Jason's world and no matter what he did to forget it, he just couldn't.

_But I'm not gay! Am I? I mean, I like girls, I just don't like Ashley and Rocky…Rocky? What about Rocky? I don' t like guys and Rocky is one so…I don't like him. Nope, not at all; I don't like his smile, or his laugh, or the way he looks at me when he thinks I'm not looking_. _No, I don't like any of that. And I especially don't like the way he makes me feel; like I'm safe, comfortable and at ease, like I have nothing to fear…like that's where I belong. _

Unable to stop the flood of tears, Jason just let it go. Finally coming to terms with a part of himself he kept in the dark, something he didn't want to acknowledge from fear of rejection from everyone he loved, but it was too late, he was already rejected and the door was open. Now, all he had to do was walk through it.

More tears spilled down his cheeks, onto his pillow and collected into a moist patch. Loud sobs racked his body, completely blocking-out the sound of his wrist communicator.

""""""""""'

Goldar shoved the Pink Ranger back in the Blue with ease. Since his last battle, he had become stronger and was easily defeating the four Rangers.

"Shit! Where's Jason?" Zack shouted angrily as he was thrown across the street, into a flower shop.

"I thought you didn't' care about him!" Billy said, as he joined Zack on the flower shop floor, "ow! Damnit!"

"This isn't going so well!" Kimberly screamed as she was thrown into Trini and subsequently into a minivan. "Shit! Being thrown into stuff hurts!"

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" Trini screamed as she shoved Kimberly off her.

"Ow! We need Jason!" Kimberly said as Goldar approached again, "Oh, fuck this!" she screamed and summoned her Power Bow and took aim. Trini stared dumbstruck as all three shots failed to go anywhere near Goldar. "Shit!" Now he was too close to fire at. "Fuck it!" Kimberly screamed and started beating Goldar with the Power Bow.

"Your weapons won't help you now!" Goldar screamed as he ripped the bow from her hands and tossed it, like a rag doll, into the raging inferno that was once the minivan.

""""""""""'

"Ay yi yi!" the automaton said, "Jason is not responding to his summon!"

"Then you must deliver the message yourself," Zordon commanded. "If I must," Alpha said, "ay yi yi, I hope he's all right," and teleported to Jason.

Jason lay on his bed, oblivious to any goings on around him. His crying had stopped some time ago, but his eyes were still red.

"Jason, I-"

"WHAT THE HELL?" Jason said, shocked to see Alpha in his bedroom.

"You haven't been responding to your summons! Your friends are in danger; the world is in danger! We need you!" Alpha pleaded.

"Go away or I'll turn you into a garbage can!" Jason threatened.

"Jason," Alpha said with what could only be called a sigh, "what's the problem?"

"Just. Leave."

"Jason... you have a sacred duty to perform... as much as I can tell that you are suffering through a personal conflict... I really do believe that you should put the world and your friends first," Alpha tried to reason with him, but it seemed he would have none of that.

"FUCK THAT! And even if I wanted to, I don't have the drive to fight!" Jason barked.

"But, Jason, Goldar is attacking the city...and he's got a chance to win unless you lead your friends." A mini-projector descended from Alpha's arm, and with a flash of light, pictures started showing. "Jason, look. Look at this! Look at your friends! This is what's happening right now, look at all the innocent people! Are you really willing to let them suffer because you cannot get over your own problems?"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Jason screamed, and proceeded to leap from his bed, morph and teleport to the city.

""""""""""'

Kimberly lay on the ground, unable to move her body. Her Power Bow only a few feet from her, but still out of reach. With a quiet sob, she cursed the day she became a Ranger.

"GOLDAR!" came a cry of pure anguish, "YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

Kimberly looked over to see Jason, fully morphed, attack Goldar head on with his bare fists. "YOU. FUCKING. ASSHOLE. HAVING. TO. DESTORY. THE CITY. AND INTERRUPT. MY SELF-PITYING. FUCK YOU. FUCK YOU. FUCK. YOU." Jason screamed, punctuating each word with a kick, punch or a slash from his sword.

Billy helped Trini to her feet and moved slowly over to Zack, who was lying unconscious near a burning building. Kimberly, feeling a new wave of energy wash over her, picked herself up off the ground and grabbed her Power Bow, although she didn't bother aiming, it'd be too risky, with Jason being in such close proximity to Goldar.

Zack woke up with a pounding headache, not being helped by the fact that the angry Red Ranger was beating the proverbial shit out of Goldar. _Wait..Red Ranger? Jason finally showed up?_

The four could only look on as Jason gave Goldar the most brutal beating he could, throwing him to cars and buildings, breaking as many bones as he could in Goldar's body. Trini eyes widened as Jason drew his sword and, in one feral swing, separated Goldar's right arm from the rest of his body. With a bright flash ,Scorpina arrived and quickly tore Jason off of Goldar, throwing him into the middle of the street.

"The Queen will not be pleased!" she hissed before teleporting them both back to the moon.

Jason picked himself up, breathing heavily, and began his trek home. His head hung low, his body sore and his mind racing with thoughts.

"Jason, wait!" Kimberly called out after him.

"Leave me alone," Jason replied sadly, "there's nothing you could do."

Kimberly made a move to catch up with him but was stopped dead in her tracks when a barrage of news reporters surrounded them. Flashes went off in all directions as numerous photos were taken of them. Then began the questions.

"Who are you?"

"Where do you come from?"

"How long have you been doing this?"

""""""""""'

Rita was fuming. No, not fuming. That word was too kind. Pissed off. No, still not enough. Fucking pissed beyond pissed and she was gonna show that goddamn monkey who was in charge!

"You jeopardized everything! Do you have any idea-IMBECILE! FUCKING JACKASS!" Rita screamed at him.

"I am sorry, my Queen, I thought I could handle them," Goldar sobbed.

"Quit crying, that won't bring back the energy you wasted," Rita snarled, "you fucking…I TOLD YOU NOT TO! And what did you do? Did it anyway! You're like a two-year-old child who's been told he can't have anymore cookies. Making a plan that will inevitably fail miserably and backfire ON YOU!" Rita screamed, "NOW LOOK AT YOU! Mr. No Arm. Do you realize how much magical energy that will take me to regrow it! Now my plans for Halloween are ruined!"

"Please, my Queen, I beg your forgiveness!" Goldar wept profusely.

"Stop that! We are evil! We do not show our weaker emotions!" Rita spit at him, "GET OUT OF HERE!"

""""""""""'

Jason fell onto his bed, his muscles aching and his head spinning. _What do I do now? I fought this for so long and now… I'm gay. Fuck…FUCK! I'm gay! I'm gay and I want Rocky…FUCK! What do I do? I messed up everything! He probably doesn't even want me anymore. Not after what I did…_

_A/N: The title is taken from Breaking Benjamin's song "Forget It"._


	8. Arc 1 Ascension: 8 Eet

Metamorphosis  
Arc 1: Ascension  
Chapter 8:  
"Eet"

"Well, it's not like you touch me anymore!"

"Well, look at what you've become! You're not the woman I married…you're more like the woman that ate the woman I married!"

"Well, it's not like I _meant_ for your demon sperm to find my egg!"

A loud crash shook Kimberly from her studies. Looking up, she watched the storm outside rage on. Rain hit the window with a loud thud while she etched numbers onto paper. Another loud crash shocked her brain, this time from downstairs. She strained her ears and listened closely.

"You fucking bitch, look what you did!"

"Oh, so it's my fault is it?"

"Well, it certainly isn't mine now, is it, woman?"

_God, don't they ever give it a rest! _Kimberly mentally groaned and grabbed her cell phone and quickly dialed Jason's number. The phone rang a few times before he picked up.

"Hello, Jason, it's Kimberly. You doin' anything? Great. Want to hit the mall? Excellent! Could you be here in five minutes? Sweet, see you then," she said and hung up the phone.

She quickly put her books in order and threw on something presentable, nothing too show-offish but nothing to drab either. She grabbed her purse and headed downstairs, into the eye of the storm.

"Why do you always have to be like this? We can never have a nice family dinner, you always have to fucking ruin it!" Her mother screeched.

"Mom…Dad?" Kimberly tried to gain their attention.

"Me? Well, maybe if you could actually cook a steak right, I could enjoy it!" Her father yelled back, oblivious to Kimberly.

"Dad! Mom!" Kimberly tried again, she could hear Jason beeping from the driveway.

"I haven't seen you pick up a spatula around here!"

"HEY!" Kimberly screamed, to her parents' surprise.

"What is it, Sweetie?" Her father asked, his tone changing drastically to something pleasant.

"I'm going to the Mall with a friend, I'll be back later," Kimberly replied, acting as if she didn't walk in on them fighting.

"But what about dinner?" her mother urged.

"I'll eat later!"

"Who's this friend of yours?" her father asked.

"Just a friend," Kimberly said, getting agitated.

"Who?"

"Oh, let her be! It's not like we can't trust her," her mother screeched.

"Would you mind your business, woman? I want to know who my daughter is going out with!" Mr. Hart yelled in return.

"Like you ever showed an interest in her life before! Why start now?"

"Oh, for fucks sake! Why don't you two just get it over with and get a divorce!" Kimberly screamed before running out of the house and into Jason's black Jaguar, leaving her parents shocked at her words.

"You okay?" Jason said, noticing Kimberly's distress. Putting aside his own problems, he decided Kimberly's would be easier to deal with.

"I'll be fine, my parents are just practicing for World War 3…or maybe it's not practice anymore, maybe for them it is World War 3," Kimberly said gruffly.

"Oh, come on, it can't be that bad," Jason laughed, hiding his plight.

"You have no idea."

""""""""""'

"Hey, Billy," Trini said to her friend, who was sitting across from her at the Juice Bar, "the rain doesn't look like it's gonna let up any time soon, do you need a ride home?"

"No, I can walk," Billy replied, not looking up from his studies.

"Billy, it's pouring outside, you'll catch a cold if you walk home in this," Trini implored.

"I'll be fine, I brought an umbrella," Billy said again, still not looking up from his studies.

Trini looked down at herself, at her too-tight jeans, and her mid-riff top, which revealed a bit more than she'd like to. _Maybe I'm trying too hard, maybe he doesn't like girls who dress like this? _Trini looked again at Billy, admiring his body, the color of his eyes, the way his hair flowed. But, really, it wasn't his body she liked the most, it was a plus, but it was really his personality. The way he seemed to care about everyone, the way he was openly friendly, not turning anyone away because of how they looked or acted. And here she was, looking her sluttiest and he wasn't even paying attention. _Maybe he doesn't like Asians? Ugh, I hate how I look, but, it's not like I can become white!_

"He-hey, Trini! Lookin' hot!" Zack said as he walked in.

Trini couldn't suppress a blush as she reached for her sweater, pulling it on even though it was much too hot in the Juice Bar.

Billy finally looked up from his books and finally took a look at Trini, too tight Jeans and a baggy sweater.

"Are you all right? It's really hot in here," Billy asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Trini said rudely.

"Why cover it up? Come on and show it off!" Zack chided.

"Shut up!" Trini said, slapping him hard across the face before running out of the Juice Bar.

""""""""""'

"What do you think?" Kimberly asked, twirling around and pulling her hair out of the way, giving Jason a better look at the earrings she was trying on.

"Doesn't really go with your shoes," Jason replied.

"You think so?" Kimberly switched to a different pair, "how about these?"

"Clashes with your shirt," Jason said, curious he decided to pick up the earlier subject, "you sure you're okay? You don't want to talk about it?"

"No, not really," Kimberly said putting the earrings back, "hey, I wanna check out the skirts!"

Jason followed her to the women's clothing section and watched her pick out a few skirts and model them for him

"Too slutty. Too Catholic schoolgirl. Clashes with your hair. Not slutty enough. Clashes with your eyes. Too dark. Is that a skirt or a wig? Too flashy. Clashes with everthing that ever existed. …Too 'Tori Spelling'."

Kimberly eyed him for a second, and then asked, "what you got against Tori?"

"She knows what she did," Jason smirked.

"Okay," Kimberly said putting back the 'Tori Spelling'-esque skirt, "hey, you hungry? Wanna hit the food court?" Kimberly said, trying to switch topics.

"Uh-sure, what do you want?"

"I was thinking That Burger Place."

"I still can't believe that's what they named it. And no."

Kimberly laughed, "well, it's better than that other name they were thinking of, and why not?"

"What was the other name?" Jason asked, desperately trying to avoid the question.

" 'We Gon' Make You Fat'," Kimberly said, doing her best Cartman.

"That was only funny cause of the voice," Jason grinned.

"Why don't you wanna go there?" Kimberly asked, her voice softening.

"Well, Rocky works there…"

"Oh, yeah?" Kimberly smirked.

"Yeah, he always gives me a discount whenever I see him," Jason said, smiling.

Kimberly got an evil gleam in her eye.

"Can we not go there?" Jason asked his smile fading, pain evident in his eyes and voice, "please?"

"Why? What happened between you two?"

"Well, it's a long story…"

"I got all day…er…night."

Jason looked away from Kimberly's overly concerned eyes, trying to hide the tears forming in his own.

""""""""""'

"Because of that incompetent monkey, Goldar, I have lost copious amounts of energy. I need more for my plan to succeed," Rita seethed, "without it, there is no hope." Rita ground her teeth, pacing the room. "Finster, I need a monster!"

"What would you like, my Queen?" Finster asked timidly.

"Something to drain the Earth's natural energy!" Rita screeched as Finster raced to create something of use. After a few loud bangs and clanks later, Finster approached Rita with a new monster in tail…

""""""""""'

Trini flopped down on her bed, utterly disgusted with herself. _How could I dress like that? Obviously, he doesn't like girls like that. _Burying her face into her pillow, she let the tears fall. _It's hopeless, I'm not pretty enough, I'm not smart enough. He's never gonna notice me. Well, whatever, I've been alone up until now and I was fine and I liked it…okay, that's a huge lie, Trini and you know it._

"Trini, do you copy me?" Zordon's voice rasped through the Wrist Communicator.

"Yes, I'm here," Trini wept.

"Trini, this is urgent! Octophantom is trying to steal the Earth's natural energy!" Zordon rasped urgently.

"Alright, Zordon," Trini said, wiping her eyes, "I'll be there in two seconds."

""""""""""'

"So, what happened between you and Rocky?" Kimberly asked after she cornered Jason.

"I really don't want to talk about it," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Fine. We're going to That Burger Place," Kimberly said, crossing her arms.

"I…"

"Talk or else," Kimberly said, with no response from Jason, she proceeded to walk away, "okay, then, let's see if Rocky's willing to talk."

Jason choked on his words as Kimberly walked up to the counter Rocky was stationed at. "Yes, how may I help you today?" Rocky asked as politely as he could, struggling to hide the anger in his voice.

"Yeah, can I have a salad, and she wants a cheeseburger," Jason said, working hard to keep his composure.

"I want a double cheeseburger," Kimberly interjected, "with extra pickles, extra cheese, no lettuce, extra onions, and hold the Mayo and the tomatoes. Oh, and I want fries with that…and a shake."

"You do realize that the main ingredient in our food is cellulite?" Rocky quipped.

After a long pause, Kimberly finally said, "can we just have our food?"

Rocky remained silent while he collected the money and handed Kim the tray of food. Jason spared Rocky and apologetic glance before leaving. Making their way to a table to eat, Kim finally broke the silence between her and Jason. "What the hell was that guy's problem, anyway?"

"It's a long story, and it's more anger towards me than anything else," Jason explained, a forlorn tone to his voice.

"Explain."

"No," Jason said in monotone, which earned him a swift kick from Kimberly. "Ow!"

"Next time, it's your balls! Now, explain!"

"I…okay, Rocky wants to be friends, but I dunno. It's complicated…"

Kimberly kicked him in the shin, "and the real story?"

"That is the real story! Shit! That fucking hurt!"

"You're leaving something out, asshole," Kimberly said, continuing before Jason could get a word in, "Jason, I've known you how long? You can't lie to me. Now, fess up or I'ma go over there and tell him you're gay and in love with him!" Jason's proverbial jaw dropped and he stared in shock at Kim. "What?" she said with her mouth full.

"I…I'm not…" Jason stammered.

"Um…excuse me? Not what?" Kimberly said, taking another bite.

"Gay. I'm not gay," Jason said quietly, averting his eyes from Kimberly's stare, "I'm not. I'm not, it's…wrong."

"Really?" Kimberly smirked, "you don't sound convinced."

"I am, now can we just drop this?"

"Wait…what? That was a bit confusing."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore, just leave it alone! Okay?" Jason's voice beginning to rise. Kimberly smirked, ignoring Jason's tone, and rose from her seat and started walking in Rocky's direction. Before she could get too far, however, Jason grabbed her and pulled her back to her seat. "Okay, you nagging bitch, you twisted my arm," he sighed, "can we discuss this in a more private place?"

"Rangers!" Zordon's voice sounded over their Wrist Communicators.

"Oh, bother!" Kimberly groaned, "we're talking about this after we finish with whatever it is that's attacking Earth!"

"Teleport to the command center immediately!" Zordon commanded from his giant glass tube.

""""""""""'

"Where's Trini?" Kimberly inquired.

"She has already gone on ahead to battle the Octophantom," Zordon replied.

"Why is he here?" Jason asked.

"Although I'm sure that these monsters have no set gender, he is here to suck up the Earth's natural energy using that magical pot he carries," Zordon said, "you must stop him."

"Why is he taking energy?" Billy asked.

"I am not sure, Billy, but I can only believe it is for one of Rita's fiendish plans," Zordon said, "you need to ensure his failure. Destroy the pot and save the planet!"

"We understand, Zordon!" Jason said, reaching for his Power Morpher. "All right, guys, it's Morphin' Time!"

""""""""""'

Trini was attempting to retrieve the vase when her teammates showed up. "About damn time, guys!" Trini called before being smacked into a tree by a rogue tentacle.

"Trini!" Jason cried out as he ran over to her. Looking around at his teammates he proclaimed, "we need a plan!"

"It's far too late for that, Power Douches, I already have all the energy I needed!" Octophantom proclaimed proudly with a laugh.

"Destroy the pot! If we destroy it the energy is lost!" Trini screamed defiantly, lunging at Octophantom but being tossed aside like a rag-doll. Kimberly followed suit and launched her full body weight at the monster, not doing much use, being as petite as she is.

"Fuck!" Jason shouted, drawing his sword and cutting a hole through Octophantom, causing him to drop the pot.

""""""""""'

"No, not my monster!" Rita screamed.

"What should we do?" Scorpina asked warily, but ready to go down to fight if needed.

"I shall cast a spell. Whatever damage befalls Octophantom will be turned into energy for us to use," Rita said.

"Making him invincible?" Goldar question.

"No, I am not that foolish," Rita replied, "you think I would give someone the power to rise against me? No, he can still die, but we will get energy for whatever damage is done to him."

""""""""""'

The pot lay shattered on the ground, it's shard shimmering in the sunlight while Octophantom lay beside it, bleeding badly. Jason stared at the sword in his hand, blood dripping from the blade. The ground shook ominously, as the sky filled with smoke.

"Jason!" Kimberly screamed at him, "snap out of it, you did what you had to!" As Kimberly rose her hand to pat him on the back reassuringly, Jason spun around at caught it mid-pat. "Jas…you all right?"

"I don't know, that was…different," he said, depressed tone tainting his voice.

"Guys," Billy said, "the semi-romantic moment and UST between you two is touching and all, but-"

"The fucking volcano is gonna explode!" Zack interjected as lava burst out the volcano and began to rain down on them. "And it's exploding, can we get the fuck out of here?"

"Zordon, can you teleport us out?" Jason asked via the Wrist Communicator.

"Rangers, I'm sorry to say that teleporting you so far seems to have exhausted the system, you must escape immediately!" Zordon commanded them.

"Well, what now?" Zack said nervously.

"Uh…run!" Kimberly shouted as she grabbed Jason's arm and headed downhill. After what seemed like a few minutes of running, Zordon's voice shouted from their Wrist Communicators, "Rangers, you're not gonna make it! You need to call on the Dinozords, they're impervious to lava."

"You heard him, Rangers! Board your Dinozords, now!" Jason commanded.

""""""""""'

Lava seeped over Octophantom, searing his flesh. As the viscous fluid burned into his being, his body began to absorb the fiery substance and expand as if the lava were giving him energy to grow.

While Octophantom was in the process of doubling in size, the Rangers went to board their respective Dinozords to prepare themselves to leave. Before they could escape, however, Octophantom's body sent out a wave of energy. With this rattling through the air, Kimberly was unable to prepare herself as her Pterodactly Zord was sent plummeting towards the Earth at a frightening speed.

"Shit! I've been hit!" Kimberly screamed.

"Rangers, attack formation!" Jason shouted.

"What the fuck might that be, white boy?" Zack shouted.

"I don't know! Just get ready for battle!" Jason replied.

"Why? He's dead right?" Trini asked nervously.

"Well…something shot her down," Jason replied.

"I can't get control! Guys, I need back up! Quick!" Kimberly screamed, fighting tears.

"Die Power Ranger!" Octophantom screamed releasing another wave of energy from his body.

Pterodactly was thrown mercilessly around as lava rained from the sky, scorching the Earth where it landed. Smoke blocking every hope for rescue Kimberly had, she was finally forced to pull herself together and fight him. Turning on the emergency boosters, Kimberly readied her laser cannons and took aim. After a moment was spared to lock on, she fired.

Octophantom felt a stinging sensation in his back, and soon it traveled through his stomach. The brilliant light of energy slowly began its work, eating away at his flesh until he was just a pile of ash. Not wanting to overheat the engines, Kimberly halted her attack as soon as she knew she had won.

"Take that, you son of a bitch!" she roared.

"Kimberly, you okay? I can't see you!" said Jason's worried and slightly panicky voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine, and Octodouche is dead," Kimberly sighed.

""""""""""'

"Good job, Rangers, I am very proud of you," Zordon said from his glass confinement.

"Yes, very well done, dudes," Alpha said.

"Um...thanks, Zordon, thank you, Alpha, I'm gonna head home, I'm feeling a bit tired," Trini said sadly, avoiding eye contact with Billy.

"Trini, are you okay?" Billy asked.

After a long pause, Trini finally replied, "whatever," and teleported home.

"Jase, let's go back to the mall, okay?" Kimberly said with a hint of mischief.

"Oh, God," Jason groaned before teleporting back with Kimberly.

""""""""""'

"So," Kimberly said, sitting in Jason's car, "explain the whole Rocky thing."

"I already did, I swear," Jason protested.

"Dude, if you don't spill, I'ma pull my tampon out and spill myself, got it?" Kimberly said with a smirk.

"Oh, you sick bitch!" Jason groaned in disgust, "okay, I…honestly, I'm not sure, it's confusing. I thought that Rocky and I were just friends but…now I'm not sure. He, uh…he kissed me," Jason said almost in tears.

"Oh…shit," Kimberly finally said after what seemed like an extremely long pause, "are you afraid it ruined your friendship? Do you…do you feel that way about him?"

"I don't know, it's just too complicated…isn't this wrong?"

"Did you like it?"

"What?" Jason said; shocked; his eyes wide.

"The kiss," Kimberly said, exasperated, "did you like the kiss?"

"I did. A lot, actually," Jason blushed.

"Did it feel right?"

"…yes."

"Get out of my head," Jason said nastily.

"Jase, ...you liked it. It felt right. Go. For. It. What's so confusing about it? Quit being a whiny bitch and start being a flamboyant fag!"

"Um…thank you?"

"No, really, go back in there and ask Jorge out," Kimberly said with a smile.

"Rocky," Jason corrected.

"Carlos?" Kimberly said, deliberately trying to anger her friend.

"Rocky," Jason said slightly annoyed.

"Hector?"

"Rocky."

"José?"

"ROCKY!"

"Carlos?"

"ROCKY! ROCKY! ROCKY! ROCKY! ROCKY!" Jason shouted.

"What?" Rocky said, having heard the commotion as he was walking home from work.

Jason was speechless, unable to suppress a blush. _Oh, God, oh, God, Oh, God, Kimberly, I hate you._ Finally finding his voice he managed a weak nonsensical sound, then finally, "I…nothing." He looked down at his shoes, avoiding eye contact with everyone and taking himself out of this conversation.

"Jason wants to go on a date with you this Saturday night at five, he'll meet you at the Juice Bar," Kimberly said hurriedly.

"I…what? I didn't say-" Kimberly clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Don't worry," Kimberly said to a dumbfounded Rocky, "he'll be there."

_Kimberly, you bitch, I'm gonna fucking kill you._

"Okay," Rocky said with a confused nod.

"So, you'll be there?" Kimberly asked with a smile.

"Yeah, sure," Rocky replied warily.

"Great, he'll see you Saturday," Kimberly said, "Jason, say goodbye."

"See you, Rocky," Jason said uncomfortably.

After watching him walk away, Jason turned to look at Kimberly and angrily said, "how could you do that? How could you?"

"I was just trying to help," Kimberly said, acting as innocently as she could.

"Trying to help…by forcing me to date Rocky?" Jason said, flabbergasted.

Kimberly could only smile and shrugged, "consider it a gay test, okay? If you like it, you're gay, if you don't, we move on and forget it ever happened."

"Fine. Fine, I'll go, but only cause Rocky and I need to talk about what happened," Jason said resolutely.

"Obvious fag is obvious," Kimberly said with a smirk.

"I loathe you so deeply," Jason said with a glare.

""""""""""'

"Mom, dad, I'm home," Kimberly called as she walked in the house. "Mom? Dad?" _Why is it so dark in here?_ Kimberly walked into the kitchen and flipped on the light switch to see her mother sitting on the floor, surrounded by beer bottles. "Mom? What happened? Where's dad?" Kimberly asked, rushing over to help her mother up.

"Don't you touch me, you venomous bitch!" her mother said, slapping her hard across the face.

Kimberly recoiled, holding herself where her mother struck, "mom, are you okay?" she said through tears.

"You, it's all your fault," her mother said, staggering to her feet, "you were the worst decision I ever made! You and that wretched brother of yours! God knows where he is now!"

"Mom, you've had to many, you need to sleep it off," Kimberly said, trying to calm her mother.

"Don't tell me what do!" her mother screamed.

"Mom," Kimberly said, her hands in front of her in a show of non-violence, "please, calm down. Where's dad?"

"He left," her mother answered, finishing the rest of her beer.

"Left?" Kimberly said, unclear on what her mother meant, "when is he coming back?"

"He's not," her mother said, opening another beer, "your father and I are getting a divorce."

_A/N: The chapter title is from the Regina Spektor song "Eet"._


	9. Arc 1 Ascension: 9 Oh, Love!

Metamorphosis  
Arc 1: Ascension  
Chapter 9:  
"Oh, Love!"

"Those goddamn motherfucking cunts known as the Power Rangers always have to fuck-up my plans!" Rita seethed.

"It's not your fault, Your Highness," Scorpina pleaded.

"You're goddamn right it's not me, it's you! You're the one that's fucked up!" Rita cackled.

"If I may, Your Highness," Finster said humbly, "allow me to make a monster!"

"You bumbling twat!" Rita smacked him with her wand. "It better be a good one!"

"It will be, Your Highness," Finster said. "It may not be very strong, but it will pull them apart with its Truth Spell!"

""""""""""'

"Hey, Trini!" Kimberly called cheerfully. "How have you been?"

"You care?" Trini said, feeling a strange surge of energy taking over her body. "That's a change. We used to be best friends and ever since you and Jason started dating, you've been ignoring me!" She snarled.

"But Jason and I aren't-"

"And when I need to talk to you, you're never around! You know, I really needed my best friend the past few weeks and you weren't here!" Trini stormed off angrily after slamming her locker door. The bell rang signaling to a bewildered Kimberly that it was time to get to class.

"Weird girl," she sighed.

""""""""""'

"Jason, wait up!" Billy called to the taller boy as he jogged down the hall to meet him. "Damn," he said, taking in big mouthfuls of air. "I need to get in shape."

"You're doing fine," Jason smirked.

Billy smiled, "so…we haven't talked in forever. How's everything giong?"

"I think I'm in love with someone," Jason said before he could stop himself.

"What? Who?" Billy said, his emotions getting the better of him. _Damnit! Ever since we became Rangers, it seems everyone keeps changing and leaving me behind!_

"With R-" the sound of their Wrist Communicators activating cut their conversation short.

""""""""""'

"Rangers, by now you have surely felt the effects of Rita's new monster," Zordon said from his glass confinement. "This sinister new monster has the ability to force people to tell their deepest, darkest secrets."

"It cast a Truth Spell?" Billy said bluntly.

"Well, yes," Zordon said.

"Then why not just say that? Why do you have to go with the dramatics all the time? You know it's not very becoming," Billy teased.

"Billy, please be polite!" Alpha scolded.

"It's all right, Alpha, it's just the spell taking hold."

"So, how do we find this monster?" Jason asked. "And how do we fight it?"

"I am not sure. My scanners can't identify the signal or trace its origin, but it is located in Angel Grove."

"You are to split up," Alpha said, "and search the town. Contact each other as soon as you find the monster so that you may rejoin forces and take him down easily."

""""""""""'

Kimberly and Jason searched the park thoroughly, finding no trace of a spell-casting monster. Jason sat down on a park bench, and took a bottle of water out of his backpack, drinking down a few gulps before handing it to Kimberly, who proceeded to sit down next to him. After a few moments, Kimberly decided it was time to break the awkward silence that had formed over the past hour.

"Jas, could you please stop being so down? It's not a bad thing. Honestly, no one's gonna care that you're gay."

"Could you _please_ not say it so loud?" Jason said, irritated.

"Ha! So you do admit it!" Kimberly said triumphantly.

"No, I…"

"Ahhh, ahhh," Kimberly sang, feeling a song taking over her.

"Oh, God, Kimberly. No!" Jason said; his head in his hands.

"Ahhh, ahhh."

"I'm in hell," Jason's voice was muffled by his hands.

"You really thought I was gonna sing?" Kimberly laughed, "That's amazing."

"I have such a deep feeling of loathing for you," he said, smirking through his fingers, unable to suppress a feeling of joy in himself.

"Come on," Kimberly said, pulling Jason to his feet, "there are worse things that could happen to a person than finding out they're gay."

"Stop it!" Jason screamed, attracting attention to the both of them.

"Wow, you didn't want anybody to know, and, well, now everyone is staring," Kimberly quipped.

"Are you just about done?" Jason grunted.

"I think so," Kimberly said, thoroughly embarrassed at the outburst.

"And anyway, it's cool and really hot to think about; you and Rocky going at it all hot and sweaty. Oh my God, gives me goosebumps!"

"Stop it!" Jason shouted again, the park patrons once more looking their way.

"Rangers, the spell is still too strong to fight," Zordon shouted through their Wrist-Communicators, "Call it a day and get some rest."

Kimberly grabbed Jason's communicator before he had a chance to respond. "All right, Zordy, see ya later," Kimberly said, suddenly feeling really giddy.

"…Zordy?" Jason said with a chuckle.

"Shut up…hey! You still have that date with Rocky tomorrow!"

"…"

"You gonna go?" Silence was Jason's only reply. "Come on, you have to go!"

"All right, I'll go," Jason said after a few moments of silence.

"Good, I'll help you choose an outfit," Kimberly proclaimed happily.

"Oh, dear Gawd, no!" Jason said, in pure horror.

"And I'll do your hair!" She said, pleased with herself.

"You are _not _touching my hair!"

"Why not? I do good hair!"

"Your hair looks like a rat's nest Kimberly. I'll do my own and while I'm at it, I'll make yours look like…not a rat's nest," Jason said carefully.

"Really?" Kimberly said, excitement flooding her body. "This means we have a salon date! Party!" Kimberly shouted excitedly, grabbing his arm and running towards the Mall's Beauty Salon.

""""""""""'

"Rangers!" Zordon hailed, "minus Jason. Where is Jason?"

"Oh, he's not feeling well," Kimberly said, faking a smile.

"Okay, then," Zordon said, sensing mischief, "Zack and Kimberly, go search the outskirts of town, Trini and Billy, go search the park. Hurry, we haven't much time!"

"Alright," Trini sighed; Billy nodded.

"All right, Zordon, we understand," Kimberly said with a salute.

"Whatever," Zack rolled his eyes.

""""""""""'

As Billy chattered on aimlessly, an awkward silence befell Trini as they searched the park. Not knowing what to say, she kept her mouth shut. _Say what you will, before it's too late_ her minded chided her.

"So, Billy," Trini said, her stomach doing flip-flops, "maybe after this is over, we can get lunch?"

"Um, I'm not sure," Billy said, looking at the map, "I have homework to do."

"Well, so do I but I'm willing to take a bit of a break from it if you want to hang out."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea Trini, I mean, I'm trying to get into med. school and I need _really _good grades for that."

"I'm trying to get into a good college too, but its okay to take a break Billy. Don't you want to spend time...with me?" Trini said, blushing.

"I...really need to study. Honestly, I do. I can't let my grades slip below an A+!"

"Getting a regular A never hurt anybody!" Trini said angrily, "but, whatever... I see your schoolwork is more important than friendship or…anything else." _Like being with me._

"It's not that, I just…"

"You just what? Have to shut the whole world out? Have to shut me out? What is it Billy? Come on and tell me, cause I'm so tired of you being so closed off."

Billy wasn't expecting such an outburst from Trini and had no answer for her. He bit his lower-lip for a second, trying to think up something, but all his brainpower and book smarts couldn't help him here. He finally lifted his head up from the map and looked at Trini, her eyes watering and her face set in a pout.

"Do you really hate me so much?" she said, tears falling from her eyes.

"I…Trini," Billy's voice softened.

Trini decided it was time to leave and ran off to the opposite end of the park, leaving a dumbfounded Billy in the wake.

""""""""""'

"You're still nervous, aren't you?" Jason answered with a nod. "Just relax, no one here knows us, we're way on the other side of town and no one here really gives a damn."

"I know," Jason said solemnly, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault," Rocky said with an encouraging smile, "it's just how you're feeling." Jason smiled at him shyly. "So, tell me a little more about yourself."

"I like martial arts, I dislike…" Jason trailed off for a moment when he say a woman with a knock-off purse, "fake Gucci bags whose owners think they're just as good."

Rocky smirked at that, _yeah, no way he's straight_. "I knew the martial arts thing, but how about…music?"

"Well, I really like Metallica and Van Halen. You know, the rockin' stuff," Jason said.

"I can tell you're lying; wanna know how? You're looking stage left. Now, be honest," Rocky said, his smirk getting smirkier.

"Okay," Jason chuckled, "I like pop music, alternative and indie stuff. Also, I really like techno."

"Techno was all right at the beginning of this decade, but now it's getting really lame," Rocky said.

"Well, there's still some decent stuff coming out," Jason continued after a few moments, "What kind of music do you like?"

"Well, I really like Green Day and No Doubt," Rocky said, "I saw them in concert, it was pretty awesome."

Minutes turned to an hour and food got cold and the light turned dark.

"So, what do you want to do after this?" Rocky asked, finishing his food.

"How about a movie?" Jason suggested.

"Hmm…comedy, horror?"

"Comedy, if anything. I can't stand the sight of blood," Jason grimaced.

"All right, then, let's get out of here," Rocky said, throwing a few bills on the table.

""""""""""'

Ashley walked aimlessly down the street, her white lace dress whipping in the cold breeze. She hurried past a little bistro and stopped. Looking through the window she saw someone familiar, someone she definitely knew. Her eyes lit up when she realized who it was but immediately fell when she realized whom he was with.

Jason turned around in time to see someone duck behind a wall, but decided to ignore it. "You ready yet?" Jason asked, picking up his jacket.

"Yeah, let's go," Rocky said, reaching for Jason's hand.

Jason jumped back instinctively, much to Rocky's dismay. Looking down at himself and clutching his hand, Jason felt a bit foolish. "I'm sorry," Jason said.

"You're still not comfortable with me, are you?" Rocky asked softly.

"No, it's not-"

"It's all right," Rocky said with a smile, "can I tell you something?" Jason nodded. "For the longest time, I've…I've been crushing on you, thinking of you as some God-like creature and now that I'm with you…I see I underestimated you. You're perfect and I really don't know why you'd go out with someone like me."

""""""""""'

"_Say what you will before it's too late, say what you will, mmhmm_," Ashley sang from her street corner, sobbing silently to herself.

"I really have no idea where the fuck that came from," Rocky said, staring blankly passed Jason for a second. "So," he said, moving his attention back towards Jason, "movies?"

"Movies," Jason agreed, taking Rocky's hand in his own. "And I'm here because I want to be here…with you." Jason said with a smile.

""""""""""'

Ashley walked down by the river, softly singing to herself. "_I remember that song, from long ago. Some of the pieces, they remind me of you. How could I know you were to leave me?_" She knelt down near the river and traced patterns in the water. "_I guess I thought I was that melody, oh so wrong. I'm but a whisper tonight._" Ashley began her decent into the river, the icy water lapping at her skin. "_And if this is goodbye, I'll leave, but I will love you until the end._"

Her head slipped under the surface, into the murky depths. Her lungs filled with water as the cold numbing sensation over took her body. Her skin prickled like she was being stabbed with a thousand knives as she slowly ran out of breath.

A sudden explosion of air hit her lungs and she sputtered. Coughing up copious amounts of water as a longhaired stranger pulled her to the shore. Eyes darting around frantically, wondering what happened, she struggled to make sense of things. After a few moments of thought, she gave up reasoning and looked into the dark eyes of her rescuer.

"You saved me," she smiled sweetly, "how could I ever thank you?" she said, her voice taking on a sarcastic tone.

"No, thanks necessary," the stranger said, looking worried, "would you like me to walk you home?"

"No!" Ashley screamed, slapping him as hard as she could, "don't you ever touch me!"

Sobbing hysterically, she ran off into the woods. The branches tore at her skin and her white dress was all but ruined. The night sounds playing at her ears were driving her to run faster and further.

She found herself in front of her mother and step-father's house, her would-be home, except things like _that_ don't happen in a home. Tears flooding from her eyes, she grabbed at her skin, trying to tear it off. Her emotions getting the better of her, she opened her mouth to scream but all that come out was, "_mad girl, can you believe what they've done to you?_" she cried while ascending the stairs. "_Wouldn't they stop when you asked them to leave you alone?_"

She found herself in her bedroom, last year's yearbook lying on her bed, flipped open to Jason's picture. "_In all your faerie tales, how did the prince say he loved you?_" She glanced at the picture of her deceased father perched on her dresser, "_how did your father die; was he a good man? Maybe some day you'll know_…"

Pulling herself up from the floor, she grabbed the razorblade resting on her pillow, "_the beginning and the end_," she sang, staring at the shining blade in hand, "_much closer than they seem. Death is but a dream, I know._" Ashley threw the razor blade across the room, creating a cut she barely felt, at a shelf of porcelain dolls from her childhood, "_dolls are meant to grow away; all broken and bent from petty play_." She looked at the wound, not really feeling the pain, but still knowing she needed to stop the bleeding.

She found herself in the bathroom pouring a bottle of hydrogen peroxide over her hand. "_My friend in this world is a bottle of nothing,_" she sobbed. "_Still I fly, still I fall._"

She stared into the sink, tears mixing with the peroxide fizzing in the sink. "_Like water in the well, my melancholy state, folly, fear and hate_." She made her way back to her bedroom, leaving a trail of tears in her wake. "_She teetered, she tripped, and then she fell_," she sighed, collapsing to her bed. "_My faith in this world is a bottle of nothing,_" she said, her hand clutching a small bottle of sleeping pills, "_still, I fly, still I fall…_"

Upon muttering the last of her melody, Ashley began to take the remainder of sleeping pills in the bottle, swallowing each one while preparing herself to enter deep sleep. As Ashley became less conscious, she could hear faint footsteps approaching her room. Believing that her stepfather had heard all the noise, Ashley almost expected him to burst into her room ready to yell at her for causing such a racket, then, she envisioned his perverted thoughts as he would find her passed out on her bed. Imagining a wicked gleam in his eyes, she could picture him locking the door and making his way over to her unconscious body. It was almost like she could sense his excitement as she heard him take each step towards her.

""""""""""'

Tommy made his way to the Juice Bar, still noticeably shaken from his encounter with Ashley. _I hope she's all right, she seemed really…out of it. I can't believe I just let her run off like that. Not like I could've stopped her, though, _he mused.

He sat down on a park bench and let out a frustrated sigh. It had been such a horrible week so far. _Everybody keeps talking without thinking and it's driving me crazy!_ _What's causing all of this? It's certainly not normal. _A hand on his shoulder shook him out of his thoughts.

"Hi," a cheery-eyed brunette said, "you're Tommy right?"

"Yes, aren't you Kimberly?" he asked.

"Yeah, are…are you okay? You look a little…"

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Thank you."

"I could've sworn you were crying," Kimberly said, sitting next to him.

"I wasn't, but thank you for your concern," Tommy said, wishing to end this conversation.

"Alright, I'll just be going then," Kimberly said, clearly having blown her chance to talk. Getting up from the park bench, she took a few steps down the path, before spinning around to talk again. "Hey, a bunch of us are meeting at the Juice Bar if you wanna come down and hang out."

Tommy gestured uselessly

"Come on down, it will be fun," Kimberly smiled before leaving.

""""""""""'

Trini sat, having gathered enough courage to face Billy, who was nervously sipping his drink, in the Juice Bar. "Why don't you ever talk to me?"

"What?" Billy said, choking on his drink.

"Why don't you ever talk to me? We always hang out and spend so much time together, but I know nothing about you. Why can't you open up?"

"It's…I…what is it with you lately, Trini? You've never been like this before," Billy stumbled, "I mean…I …uh…I don't-"

"Hey, guys," Kimberly said with a smile.

Both Trini and Billy turned their heads at the same time and gave a gruff, "hi, Kim."

"Ooh, moody, aren't we?" Kim said, stealing Trini's drink.

"Kinda having a private conversation, Kim," said Trini, not happy with Kimberly's behavior.

"Ooh, touchy," Kim said, before putting her drink down and walking to the counter and ordering a strawberry smoothie. She took a look at Trini and Billy who looked to be having an intense, if not very stressful, conversation.

"Here ya go, Kimberly," Ernie said, placing her drink on the counter.

"Thanks, Ernie," Kim said, taking her drink and leaving a five dollar bill on the counter. Taking a sip, she turned around only to be knocked onto the floor and spill her drink. "Hey," Kimberly shouted, brushing herself off. She cast an angry glare at the person who knocked her down, only to notice it was Tommy.

"I'm so sorry, Kimberly, I didn't mean to!"

"It's okay, Tommy, I…_I want you to want me!_" she shouted from her place on the floor.

Noticing what she had just said, Kimberly collected herself in a flash and fled the Juice Bar.

Trini stared at where Kimberly had been for a second then turned to Billy, whose mouth was moving but not making any sounds that her ears could detect. "Oh, fuck it," she cursed and kissed him.

""""""""""'

"_If you wanna leave, I won't beg you to stay,_" Kimberly heard her mother sob as she approached her front door. Grasping the handle, she pulled it open to find her father and mother in the living room. She noticed her father carrying a box of what appeared to be the last of his possessions and her mother on the floor crying.

Kimberly's heart broke as soon as she saw the look in her father's face when he noticed she was there. Deciding not to let this get the better of her, and that she needed to be stronger, she gathered her courage and opened her mouth. Her eyes dilated as she realized she didn't know what to say. Searching frantically for her words, Kimberly watched her father walk out the door.

Kimberly collapsed in a heap on the floor, thoroughly exhausted, next to her mother. Sobbing, she finally managed to form a few words. "He's really leaving?"

"Yes."

""""""""""'

Jason woke up Tuesday morning with a horrible feeling in his stomach. A huge ball of guilt was forming in his gut. He hadn't called Rocky since their date and had avoided him at school yesterday.

As mornings go, this one wasn't any different from Jason's other mornings except for the fact that Kim seemed a bit depressed over something. But, on the bright side, she was not pestering him for details about his date.

Walking into the cafeteria, Jason saw Rocky sitting by himself, his friends on the opposite side of the room chatting avidly. The knot in his stomach tightened, seeing the hurt he put onto Rocky's usually smiling and beautiful face. He looked between his friends and Rocky then decided he needed to fix his first problem.

"Rocky," Jason said, putting his tray down and pulling out a chair, "I'm sorry."

Rocky didn't look up from his meal, but his reply came nonetheless, distorted but clearly a grunt.

"I know you're not happy with me, but it's complicated," Jason said, his voice low and full of sorrow.

"Yeah, you go out with me and tell me you're not sure how you feel. Then you don't call me all weekend and ignore me at school. Thanks, that makes me feel amazing," Rocky said gruffly.

Jason could feel his heart twisting in his chest, and tears welling in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Rocky. I didn't mean to…to hurt you."

Jason watched him in silence and felt his heartbreaking. Looking down at his shoes he felt something welling up in him. He looked Rocky in the eye before kissing him hard on the mouth.

"I'm sorry," Jason said, parting their mouths, "I do need you."

"Just don't fuck with me again or I'll kick your ass," Rocky smirked and leaned into kiss him again.

"Well, well, well, what's this?" said the ever-so-voluptuous Bulk, "I can't believe what I'm seeing."

"Yeah!" piped Skull, "I can't believe what I'm seeing either. Wait, what am I seeing?"

"The karate guy has a boyfriend," Bulk smirked.

"Oh yeah!" said Skull, thinking about it, "wait, ew, we have gays at this school?"

"Not if I can help it," said Bulk, cracking his knuckles.

"Can you two just leave us alone?" said Jason, trying to be subtle but really wanted to beat the crap out of the two bigoted fools.

"Make us," said Bulk.

"Yeah! Make us!" Skull copied.

"Fine," said Jason as he stood up and karate kicked Bulk to the floor.

"That. Was. So. Hawt!" said Rocky, laughing his ass off.

"Thanks," Jason blushed.

"Ugh," said Bulk as he got back up, "you'll be sorry next time, homo."

"Yeah, next time," said Skull both shocked and afraid of Jason. Turning to Bulk, "umm, we should probably leave now."

"You're right, Skull," said Bulk, wanting to run away but decided he needed to sound tough; so, he finished by saying, "I'll finish you off later, homo."

"Bring it, fat ass," Jason swore, feeling angrier than he had ever felt before but decided he needed to control himself since there were teachers watching this time. He let Bulk and Skull leave but promised himself that he would fight them later.

"Jason!" Kimberly called from across the cafeteria before running over to him, "we got…I mean that is…uh…can I talk to you in private?"

Shaken from his thoughts, Jason looked worriedly at Kimberly before turning to Rocky. "I'll see you later, then?"

"Yeah," Rocky grinned, "and remember to call me!"

Going to a more private spot, Jason asked Kimberly, "what the hell do you want?"

"Jeeze, I don't need your attitude," Kimberly retorted, "you-know-who is calling us. We need to go!"

"Oh, alright," said Jason, feeling a bit guilty for snapping at her.

""""""""""'

Later, the whole gang arrived at the Command Center.

"Rangers, I have called you here because I believe I have located Rita's monster," Zordon said, attracting his young charges' attention.

"Where is it? What is it? And how do we kill it?" Jason asked, feeling like he needed to fight something, anything.

"My scanners picked up a strange reading from the park a moment ago. As for what it is, I cannot say, but please proceed with caution, Rangers," Zordon said as he looked at his young recruits. "With each passing monster Rita has sent, the danger has grown at surprising rates. I do not wish to lose any of you."

_Why does he even care?_ Trini thought as a strange new feeling welled up in her chest. "All right, Zordon," she shouted, "we'll be sure to return in one piece!"

"Good luck," Zordon said, grimly.

"Alright then," said Jason, taking out his Morpher, "It's Morphing time!"

"Mastodon!"  
"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!"

They all Morphed simultaneously.

""""""""""'

Teleporting into the park, the Power Rangers took a couple of moments to search the area.

"I don't see anything, do you?" Billy asked Trini.

"All I see here is a jerk," Trini muttered to herself.

"Excuse me?" questioned Zack, apparently he heard her.

"I wasn't talking to you, Zack," said Trini, "and, anyway, do you see anything?"

"Nah, but I sense something," he replied, "what about you, Jason?"

"I'm sensing it too but I don't see anything," Jason kind of growled, he wanted to beat the living day lights out of whatever they might be facing.

"Umm, guys," said Kimberly, "I think I found what we're all sensing."

"What is it?" The others replied at once.

"A lamp," said Kimberly excitedly holding the small, golden object, "I don't know about you guys but I feel like I'm in _Aladdin_ right now!"

"Oh, I love that movie," said Zack, realizing what he just said and feeling embarrassed, "I mean…that movie is stupid."

"Whatever, we should probably take that back to the Command Center," Trini suggested.

"Prodigious, Zordon and Alpha will figure out what to do with it," Billy agreed. Trini rolled her eyes despite how much she loved his quirky commentary.

"A'ight, we take this shit to fuckface in a glass tube and then we-" Zack was interrupted by Jason.

"Kimberly, don't even think about rubbing that," Jason warned, "never mind, you're already rubbing it."

"Of course! I want my wish to come true," said Kimberly, excited to see what happens.

"Bitch, if a monster comes out of that thing, I'm going to-" Zack was interrupted again by a blue Genie who seemed to have appeared from the lamp. "I hate you all," he added before getting hit in the chest by a magical force.

Everyone seemed to have gotten hit by the Genie's magic, "you will all bow down to me, Power Rangers!" he screeched.

"We're fucked!" Zack yelled out.

"No!" Jason yelled, summoning his strongest weapon, "Power Sword!"

"That will never work on me!" the Genie cackled as he dodged Jason's attack, "take this!" He yelled, effectively throwing fireballs at Jason.

"Argh!" Jason cried out as he fell onto his back. The other Rangers got out their weapons and tried to attack as well.

"Power Axe!"

"Power Bow!"

"Power Daggers!"

"Power Lance!"

First, Trini and Kimberly tried their own personal moves on the Genie but he was too quick and dodged their attacks. Even when Billy and Zack used their Power weapons, the Genie was too strong and seemed to be unaffected.

"What do we do?" Kimberly trembled.

"You should be the one that comes up with the motherfucking plan since you unleashed this motherfucking monster in the first fucking place you motherfucking stupid bitch!" Zack swore.

"Guys, calm down" said Trini, while pulling her attention away from the opposing monster, "we'll get through-" But, this distraction resulted in her being hit by magically summoned knives which began to reign down on the other Rangers.

"Muahahaha!" the Genie laughed, evilly, "you will never defeat me! For I have you all finished off!"

"Ugh," Jason got back up after getting hit by a knife. Fortunately, his Red Ranger suit protected him from the damage, allowing him to still stand, "no, you're the one that's finished!" At that, his Power Sword began to glow a blazing-red color, giving him the ability to slice and dice the evil blue Genie.

"Excellent!" Billy mused as he released some of his own energy into his Power Lance and followed Jason's example by attacking the villain.

"Argh!" the Genie cried in pain.

"Hiya!" Trini yelled out as she used her own strength to make her Power Daggers glow a bright yellow while stealthily attacking the evil Genie.

"Yes!" said Kimberly, starting to feel a strange waver in her behavior, her judgment was starting to become a lot clearer, "I don't know how or why but I feel like I can think clearly again." Upon saying this, Billy began to think as Kimberly began to use her pink-glowing Power Bow to attack the Genie, followed by Zack using his Power Axe.

"Fuck you, you piece of shit!" Zack celebrated as he successfully used the blade end of his weapon, "we got you finished!"

"Guys! We need to put our weapons together so we can beat him!" Jason ordered.

"Right!" they all agreed and focused on uniting their energy in order to create one big powerful canon—compiled of all their weapons—the Power Blaster.

"Ready," Trini called.

"Aim," Kimberly followed.

"Fire!" Zack initiated the first shot which hit the Genie right in the shoulder. The second and third shots, by Jason and Kimberly, hit the Genie in the chest while Billy and Trini aimed for the monster's legs.

"No!" the monster agonized.

""""""""""'

"This can't be!" Rita cried, "I can't lose, I won't allow it! Make my monster grow!" She tossed her ever-so powerful wand in the air, creating a magickal beam to blast into the Genie. Rita's series of actions caused him to grow into a colossal-sized beast.

"Very good, my Queen," Finster smiled loyally at his monarch.

"Shut up and finish my nails," she sat back down on her throne and watched her monster through a large telescope while Finster continued working on her hands.

""""""""""'

"Bahaha! I'll cast a spell that will destroy the Power Rangers and the city," the Genie roared, using this time to cast a new spell.

"What are we going to do?" Kimberly said, frightened.

"There's only one thing we can do," Jason said but before he can give his next order, Billy interrupted.

"Guys, I really think we need to take a minute to discuss recent events."

"Not now, Billy," Jason replied.

"Yes, now!" said Billy, finding the courage to stand up to his best friend, "everyone has been acting foolish lately and I know the Genie is responsible for it."

"So?" Zack retorted.

"So, if the Genie can manipulate our behavior that easily, we need to be careful," Billy suggested.

"Billy," said Trini, realizing what he was saying, "you're right, we need to think. Do you have any ideas?"

"Yeah, _before_ the Genie destroys the city," Zack grumbled. Jason was just listening while Kimberly was panicking.

"We first need to get over our personal insecurities," said Billy, "if we don't, the Genie will use them against us."

"And how do you suppose we do that in the next two seconds?" Zack yelled, getting even more pissed off.

"Well," at this Billy turned to Trini, "I'm sorry if you feel like I've ignored you. I really did not mean to hurt you with my unfair behavior. And, Jason, you're my best friend. You know I'll always support you. Kimberly, I may not know you very well yet but you're a tolerable person. And, Zack, you may get frustrated with me but I think you're a good teammate."

"Billy," Trini didn't know what else to say so she just hugged him. She probably would have kissed him if her helmet wasn't in the way.

"Thanks man," said Jason, feeling his intensified rage ebb away, "I guess you're right. We need to stick together as a team no matter what."

"Yeah," said Kimberly, realizing all that she did up to now, "jeeze, I was a total idiot this whole time. I'm sorry guys."

"It's okay," the others replied except Zack who was still unsure.

"Zack," said Jason, "come on, man, we're a team."

"That means you're a part of our movement to rid this earth of evil," said Billy.

"You're important to us, Zack," Trini smiled, still hugging Billy.

"Yeah," Kimberly agreed, "we need you."

At this, Zack didn't know how to react; he never had friends like this before.

"So, what's it going to be, buddy?" asked Jason.

"I say we roast this fucker before he does anymore damage," said Zack, smiling despite himself, "and don't call me your buddy, wonder bread."

"Fine," Jason chuckled, "I guess we're ready?"

The others nodded.

"Billy," Jason nudged his friend, "you know what to do."

"Jason," Billy gasped, for he never had this opportunity.

"Go for it," the others added.

"Right," Billy said, turning and calling out, "I summon the Dinozords!"

Moments later, the Dinozords made their presence known to the world with their loud roars and harsh screeches. The Rangers used their powers to jump into the cockpit of each complimentary Zord and decided not to waste too much time on the Genie.

"I think the best way to beat this guy is if we combine into Tank Mode," Billy projected his plan.

"Sounds good," said Jason, feeling rather proud of him.

"Switching to Tank Mode," Trini followed through.

"Right," replied Kimberly.

"Let's blast this beezie on the ground!" Zack cheered.

The others chuckled at his strange Oakland-Bay Area slang while their Dinozords combined to form a nearly indestructible tank-shape.

"What is this?" called the Genie, noticing their approach, "you think you can beat me with your ridiculous toys, do you?"

"Actually, they're not toys. These are capable fighting devices that are going to be used to destroy you and Rita's evil plan to take over the world," said Billy.

The Genie scratched his head, confused at Billy's strange dialogue.

"Attack!" Billy ordered, using this moment to order the Zords to launch laser beams at their opponent.

"Owwie!" cried the Genie, who was forced to stop his new spell in order to fight. "You annoying Power Rangers! You will feel my wrath!" The monster raised his heavily-muscled blue arms to the sky and summoned a firestorm to burn the Dinozords.

"Fortunately for us," Billy quipped, "our Zords feed on that kind of solar power, thanks for the energy buffet!"

"What?" said the Genie, not realizing his deadly mistake.

"Switch to Battle Mode!" Billy ordered the Megazord as it transformed into its humanoid form. As soon as the enormous battle machine was ready to fight, Billy summoned the, "Power Sword!"

The Power Sword fell from the sky and landed right in the Megazord's hand, adding to its already well-stocked power.

"No! You can't defeat me with that," the Genie challenged, "I'll just summon a….a….. lightning storm? Yeah! A lightning storm!"

"Yeah, that's really not going to save you," said Billy, as he commanded the Megazord to reflect the lightning which ended up zapping the Genie.

"Woot!" Zack cheered once again, "Let's cut this guy into monster meat!"  
"Agreed," said Jason.

"We need to finish this guy," said Trini.

"And when we do, I'm feeling a celebration at the Juice Bar is in order," said Kimberly, adding to their excitement.

"But first," said Billy, "Megazord! I command you to finish the Genie off with your Power Sword!"

The Megazord followed the order by gathering its energy at the tip of the blade and swiftly using it to stab the Genie through the chest.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" the Genie cried, "this can't be happening! I can't be…. Noooooo!" At this, Rita's monster exploded and died.

"Yes!" the Power Rangers were ready to party with this victory.

""""""""""'

"NOOOO!" Rita screamed as she threw her telescope to the side, almost breaking it, "Finster! Not only do you suck at doing my nails, you are a TERRIBLE monster maker! I should FIRE you!"

"No, my Queen, don't fire me," cried Finster, horrified with his failure, "I will build a better monster. I promise!"

"You better," Rita glared, "or else, I'll find someone ELSE to do your pathetic job!"

"Yes, my Queen," Finster felt ashamed.

"My Empress, if I may," Goldar interrupted, "it might be time for you to try using another plan to fight the Power Rangers."

"What do you mean?" Rita asked, shocked at Goldar's suggestion. "I mean that the results will change if you use a different approach,"

Goldar added, "it's clear that these new Power Rangers are not falling for your usual tricks. I wouldn't either."

"You're right," Rita admitted, "I'll come up with a different plan then. I need some time to think alone. You're all dismissed."

"Thank you, my Queen," Goldar bowed and exited with Finster.

""""""""""'

Later, the team found themselves at the Command Center, relating the story to Zordon and Alpha.

"I can't believe how we beat that guy," said Zack.

"Yes, it was definitely amazing," Trini agreed.

"And, I'm really proud of Billy for coming through," said Jason.

"Thanks guys," Billy smiled.

"Yeah," said Kimberly, "the fight was fun. But, I feel really bad for how I was acting."

"Don't forget you released the monster, white girl," Zack added to her guilt.

"Yeah, you really don't have to remind me," said Kimberly, not proud of her actions.

"I am very pleased with the result of this battle," Zordon finally commented, "But, you are far from winning the war. Rita will have more in store for you which is why it's important that you rest and plan for the next round."

"I agree," said Jason, "I'm really tired from that fight."

"Awww, you guys don't want to meet at the Juice Bar?" Kimberly pouted.

"I'll go with you," said Zack.

"Umm, now that I think about it, I have other plans," said Kimberly, "I'll talk to you all tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow," said Billy, "oh, Trini, can I have your phone number?"

"What?" Trini was shocked, "umm, sure." She gave him her number in exchange for his while the others left.

"Thanks," said Billy, feeling much more confident than he ever did before.

"You hormonal teenagers and your drama," said Alpha, "go fornicate somewhere else."

_A/N: the chapter title is taken from the Melissa McClelland song "Oh, Love"._


	10. Arc 1 Ascension: 10 This is Halloween 1

Chapter 10

This is Halloween Part 1

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Zackary," the Mr. Kaplan said from the chair behind his desk, "you ditch school, disrupt classes and are failing said classes."

"Why should I bother; I'm not going anywhere?" Zack groaned, slouching in the leather chair seated in front of the desk.

"Zack," the principal sighed, "I want to help you, but you're putting me in a bind and it'll only result in you being expelled, and I don't want to do that."

"Uh-huh, right. Because you really cared _before _we got that new teacher who's gunning for your job," Zack mouthed-off.

"Don't bring Ms. Appleby into this, Zack," Mr. Kaplan groaned, "I want to give you a chance."

"To what?"

"To make up the classes you failed last year," Mr. Kaplan said, taking a slip of paper out of his shirt pocket, "you'll need to take exams and have your teachers sign this to guarantee you get passing credit."

Zack remained slightly as Mr. Kaplan figuratively reamed him.

"For classes you failed from last semester, I will give you the forms for completing them in summer school. If you don't take this offer, I will speak to your mother about either transferring you to the continuation school or expulsion."

"Fine," Zack said with a sigh, "I'll do it, just give me the damn paper."

"All right," the principal smiled, handing him the paper, "you may go now, but be warned: if you skip class, the deal is off."

Zack muttered something under his breath indiscernible to the principal as he walked off, not looking watching where he was going.

"Woah, dude," Jason said, his books scattered all over the floor, "what's with the-"

"Shut up."

"What's up your ass?" Jason said defensively.

"Nothing, I gotta get to class," Zack said before being ambushed by Kimberly and Billy.

"Hi, guys!" Kimberly said, way too perky for Zack's liking.

"Hi, guys," Billy echoed.

"Yo, Brainboy," Zach said, slapping Billy on the back.

"Ow," Billy groaned.

"I need your help," Zach said, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

"That hurt! Why'd you do that?" Billy whined.

"Kaplan said I need to get good grades or I get expelled," Zack continued, his arm draped around Billy's shoulders.

"God, that really hurt. You ape!"

"So, what I need from you is…to do my homework for me. Simple right?" Zack said grinning.

"Forget it," Billy said, slipping away from Zack.

"Come on, help a brother out," Zack pleaded.

"Look, I'm not gonna do your work for you since you won't learn a thing that way, but I will tutor you," Billy offered.

"Aww, c'mon man!" Zack begged.

"Listen," Billy scolded, "that's my only offer; take it or leave it."

"Hey, Jason, Kim, Zack…Billy," Trini said, acknowledging them with a look at each name she said, but grunting out Billy's name.

"Err…hi, Trini," Billy answered awkwardly.

""""""""""'

"What is your evil plan, Highness?" Goldar grunted.

"My plan, Goldar," Rita sneered, "is to use the energy collected to make five powerful monsters that will finally crush those pesky power pricks!"

"Why, yes my Queen," Finster said, shuffling into the room, "what monsters will you require?"

"Frankenstein, Bones, Skelerena, Doomstone, and Dracula; they will be the downfall of those teenaged twats!" Rita cackled evilly.

"Coming right up, Rita!" Finster said, hurrying off to his workshop to make Rita her monsters.

In no time, five monsters stampeded out to greet Rita and her minions. "Finster," Rita screeched, "well done. They look absolutely hideous!"

"Empress," Frankenstein Monster grunted, "what are our orders?"

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked, Frankie," Rita rasped, caressing his cheek, "destroy the Power Rangers! Divide and conquer!"

"Understood," Frankenstein grunted, "I'll turn Red black and blue."

"The Pink one," Dracula hissed, "shall be the instrument of their own destruction."

"I'll make that Black Ranger indistinguishable from an ink blot!" Skelerena jeered.

"I'll teach the nerd about what happens when a stone block meets a human skull," Doomstone snickered.

"I'll show the Yellow bitch what a real nightmare looks like!" Bones cackled.

"Quit babbling," Rita ground her teeth, "and get out there and make Ranger soup!"

""""""""""'

Jason brushed a few stray locks of hair out of his eyes as he sipped his strawberry smoothie. Jason surveyed his surroundings, a jukebox blasting music and teenagers placing orders. Turning back to his homework, he struggled to block the Juice Bar's usual noise out of his head.

"Hey, Jason," Rocky said, smiling as he sat down next to him.

"Hi, Rocky," Jason grinned.

"So…you doin' that 'take kid's trick-or-treat thing' tonight?" Rocky asked.

"Yeah, I need the community service hours," Jason laughed.

"Don't we all," Rocky smirked. "So, what're you gonna be?"

"I don't' really have a costume, been a bit too preoccupied with…stuff," Jason muttered.

"What?" Rocky said, admonished, "you don't have a costume?" Jason shook his head. "Come on," Rocky said, grabbing Jason's arm, "we're gonna get you one."

""""""""""'

The wind whipped at Kimberly's skin as she walked to the gymnasium. A fog surrounded her ankles, chilling her deeply. "Goddamn, it's cold," Kimberly muttered.

Her costume a bit uncomfortable, but workable in combat. Brushing the wig's blonde hair out of her eyes, she looked over her costume; tight-fitting leather jacket over a black tank top with tight fitting blue jeans and a stake tucked into her belt. The cold breeze forced her to wrap her arms around herself in an attempt to keep warm.

"Hello, there," a deep voice thick with a Romanian accent said from behind her, "why are you all alone on this brisk autumn night, _iubirea mea_?"

Turning around, Kimberly mentally prepared herself for a fight. "Who are you?" she said to the man who stood in front of her.

"I am your savior," the man said.

"That's funny," Kimberly mocked, "I didn't ask to be saved."

"No, you were begging," he said, staring deeply into her eyes.

"I don't…recall…" Kimberly paused, a strange feeling washing over her, "begging."

"Hmph," the man smirked, his mind struggling to take control of Kimberly, "you didn't have to say anything, I could feel your heart. You could say we're…connected."

"Connected? I've felt so disconnected lately, it's nice to feel…connected," Kimberly sighed, slipping away from control.

"I can feel many things, and as our connection grows, you shall feel them too," the man smirked. "Oh, do forgive me, I've been rude, I haven't introduced myself, I'm Count Dracula, a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine, Master," Kimberly replied hollowly.

"I'm sensing great power from you, young one," Dracula leered, "but I sense you don't properly know how to use."

"I have power?' Kimberly said, her voice completely devoid of all emotion.

"Yes, would you like to learn how to use it?" Dracula asked.

"Would you teach me?" Kimberly said, now completely lost in his trance.

"I will, but first you must do something for me," Dracula smirked.

"What is it you require, Master?"

"The destruction of the Power Rangers!"

""""""""""'

Trini looked onward, through the sheet covering her body, at the four children running around her feet. Although their heads barely reached her waist, the noise they were making was giving Trini, and anyone and everyone nearby, a raging headache. "I wonder where everyone else," Trini said to herself.

Kimberly pushed the gymnasium doors open with a crash, a cold gust of wind flooding in around her. She scoured the gym with her eyes, a green mist swirling in them, making her hyperaware. Locating Trini, she quickly made her way over.

"Hey, Trini," she said, showing no emotion.

"Hi, Kim, how a-"

"Where's Jason, Zack and Billy?"

"I'm doing fine, thank you," Trini said, a bit annoyed at her friend's apparent disinterest in her, "I don't know where they are, Kimberly. How are you-"

"Then you are of no use to me," Kimberly said, as another cold gust of wind circled her feet, not that she noticed.

"Hey! There's Jason now! Wait, who is he with?" Trini asked, signaling for Jason and his partner to join them.

"Hey, Trini. What's up, Kimberly? Great Buffy costume," Jason said, smiling.

"Not important, where are Billy and Zack?" Kimberly asked.

"I think Zack is taking a make-up test and I'm not sure where Billy is," Jason said, a bit perplexed over Kimberly's behavior, "Kim, are you feeling okay?

"I'm feeling fine. Never better," she said with a false smile planted firmly on her face.

"Okay, then," Jason said, still a bit unsure. "Oh! Trini, this is Rocky. Rocky, this is Trini."

"Nice to meet you," Rocky and Trini greeted each other.

"Way to coordinate costumes," Trini said, "Batman and Robin, huh? Classic."

"Thanks," Jason said, blushing, "it was really all Rocky's idea. He picked them out."

The gym doors opened and slammed shut, breaking the awkward silence that had befallen the trio. A strong gust of wind brushed their legs, making them shiver. "Oh, there's Billy," Trini said flatly.

"Oh, God," she groaned, "he's coming this way. Well, it was nice meeting you Rocky. I gotta get the hell out of here."

"Um…bye?" Rocky said, watching Trini trip over her ghost costume as she scrambled to the other side of the gym.

"I'll be right back," Jason whispered to Rocky, "keep Kim company, okay?"

Rocky nodded.

"Hey, Trini," Jason said as he ran over to her, "what's wrong?"

"Why show an interest now? Why act like you care? I mean, it's obvious that you don't care about anyone on the time except your girlfriend!" Trini sneered.

"Girlfriend?" Jason said, bewildered.

"Oh, for Christ sake, we all know you're fucking Kim!" Trini grunted.

"Uh…" Jason stumbled, looking over at Kimberly, "I'm just not interested in that."

"Interested in what?" Billy said, appearing from, what seemed like, nowhere.

"Ah, shit! Where the hell did you come from?" Jason said, startled.

"Well…" Billy smirked, "when a mommy and a daddy get together and they-"

"No!" Jason and Trini both shouted in unison.

"What I mean is," Jason sighed, "when did you get here?"

"Oh, just now. I finished my project," Billy said, "…you see, when the penis goes into the vagina-"

"What project?" Jason said, hurriedly.

"It's just for the science fair," Billy said proudly.

"Oh, how…nice?" Jason said, grasping for words.

"You think I'm a nerd," Billy frowned.

"Err…no, I just don't know anything about the science fair, sorry. But maybe you can tell me about it?" Jason said sincerely.

"Well, it's really-oh, hi, Trini," Billy said, finally noticing her.

"Nutsack," Trini said under her breath.

"What was that?" Billy asked.

"Nothing," Trini faked a smile.

_Oh, this is awkward,_ Jason thought. "Listen guys, I gotta get back to Rocky and…uh…that does not sound good on my part. See ya!" Jason ran off.

"Okay," Billy said, slightly dazed. "Hey," he said, redirecting his attention to Trini, "I was thinking we can meet up at the Juice Bar and-"

"Do homework?" Trini spat at him.

"I was thinking we could maybe, possibly, uh, you know, kinda just spend time to hang out to be friends and together and uh…"

"Sorry," Trini interrupted, "I gotta takes these kids out trick-or-treating."

"Okay, last call. Everyone collect your kids," Mr. Kaplan shouted over the clatter in the room.

"Rocky," Jason called, after collecting his kids, "I'll see you back here at eight?"

"Absolutely," Rocky grinned.

""""""""""'

Kimberly stalked the streets, looking for her comrades, having dumped her children onto another volunteer. Her master's voice ringing in her head drove her to forget her responsibilities and sent her into a frenzy. _Find them, find them, find them, find them._

Kimberly took a sharp right down an alley, the voice in her head getting louder in attempt to block out the other voices telling her to stop. A bright light shone at the end of the alley, with a rush of kids blocking it every few moments. _So close, so close, so close._

"All right, kids," a familiar male voice said, "it's getting late. We'll go to a three more houses then we gotta return to the school, all right?"

Groans of disappointment grew louder as Kimberly closed in on them. Peering through the darkness, she recognized the man speaking. _Rocky,_ her mind chanted.

Ducking behind a Dumpster she quickly extracted her Power Morpher from her pocket. "_Pterodactyl_" she cried, a wave of energy washing over her as she transformed into the Pink Ranger.

With a flash, Kimberly appeared before Rocky, delivering a harsh knee to the mid-section before throwing him down to the pavement. _Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill._

"I thought you were one of the good guys!" Rocky spat at her, staggering to his feet.

"The line between good and evil is eerily blurred," Kimberly shot back, kicking Rocky in the ribs.

"Fuck!" Rocky shouted, falling to the ground, his vision blurring. Before passing out, he glanced at the children to see that they had run.

""""""""""'

Jason glanced irritably back at the clock then to the door. Muttering curse words under his breath, he turned around to see Trini coming toward him. "Where the hell is he?" he said silently.

"Hey, Jason," Trini smiled, "how was your night?"

"It'll be better as soon as I know Rocky's all right," he said distractedly.

"Okay," Trini said awkwardly, "anyway…oh, shit." Trini said, noticing Bill coming toward them, "here comes the fucktard."

"Trini!" Jason shouted, utterly shocked, "I'm surprised at you! I've never head you say anything worse than 'damn'!"

"Well, when someone-oh, hi, Billy, how are you?" Trini said, faking enthusiasm.

"Trini…you're scaring me. First you're all pissy, and now you're acting nice," Billy said timidly, "are you okay?"

"Fine, fine," Trini said bitterly, "how about you? You vagina in a knot?"

"Oh," Billy said uneasily, "I-"

"Help us, somebody!" a choir of children shouted as they ran into the gymnasium.

"Calm down," Mr. Kaplan said, grabbing one of the children by the shoulders, "what happened? Where's your supervisor?"

"We were attacked by _pink_!" the child cried.

"Hey, aren't those the kids Rocky was watching?" Trini asked, having over-heard the children.

"Yeah, they are," Jason said, worry-lines forming on his face. "Listen, I'll meet you guys later, I'm gonna go look for him."

"All right," Trini said, nervously, "be careful."

"I will," Jason grinned, "I'll meet you at the Juice Bar later, all right?"

""""""""""'

"Jason!" Kimberly shouted from the other end of the alleyway, "oh, my God, they were everywhere!"

"Who was? What happened?" Jason said, running towards her.

"Putties! They got Rocky!" Kimberly leaned against a building, holding her side with a grimace on her face, "I hope the kids got away."

"The kids are fine," Jason reassured her, "where did they take Rocky?"

"I'm not sure," Kimberly said, "there were a gaggle of monsters surrounding us, it was too hard to concentrate."

"All right, we'll hunt them down to-'gaggle of monsters'?" Jason said, not believing the words he heard.

"Jason!" Kimberly cried, "now is not the time to inspect my usage of words!" Kimberly limped over to Jason, "come on, we gotta go save Rocky."

"All right," Jason said, reaching for his Power Morpher. "Tyranno-"

"Not so fast!" Frankenstein said, kicking Jason's Power Morpher from his hands.

"Shit!" Jason shouted, grabbing his hand in pain, "Kimberly, behind you!"

"What?" Kimberly said, smiling absent mindedly, not noticing Dracula had appeared behind her.

"Very good, my sweet," Dracula said, stroking her face.

"Oh, thank you Master," Kimberly purred, leaning into his touch.

"Kimberly, what the hell are you doing?" Jason said, blocking a punch only to be kicked in the stomach.

"What's best for me, 'cause no one else will," Kimberly said, strolling casually over to Jason's Power Morpher.

"Kim!" Jason cried out, after being thrown into a wall.

"Quiet!" Kim said through her teeth, "you don't have the right to say my name." Kim picked up Jason's Power Morpher and walked over to Dracula. "Here, Master," she said, handing it to him.

"Kimberly!" Jason admonished, before being thrown into a nearby wall and slipping into the darkness.

""""""""""'

"Did I do good, Master?" Kimberly purred.

"You did very well, my sweet," Dracula said, his voice sultry and sweet, as he caressed Kimberly's body. "But your job is not yet done, _dragul meu_, you still need to collect the others."

"Yes, Master," Kimberly said softly, "then I shall be on my way."

""""""""""'

"He got Jason!" Kimberly cried after she found Trini in the Gymnasium.

"Who got Jason? What the hell are you talking about?" Trini said, bewildered.

"He got him, the monster!" Kimberly cried hysterically into Trini's shoulder.

"What monster?" Trini said, bewildered.

"It was big and slimy and-and-and…it got him!" Kimberly sobbed, "we have to go help him!"

"Of course," Trini said, a look of sheer horror on her face, "we'll get Billy and go look for him."

""""""""""'

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

With a flash of light, the trio morphed into their Ranger forms.

"Okay, follow me!" Kimberly shouted.

"If you say so!" Billy said, trying to stay cheerful for Kimberly's sake.

Trini grunted in annoyance, trying to maintain her anger at Billy, but quickly losing the emotion quickly in cause of his enduring personality. Her only resolve, she decided, was to put up a front and act as if she were still angry.

The Pink Ranger led the way down a deserted alleyway into an equally deserted street. Stopping for a moment, she sniffed at the air. Carefully observing her surroundings, as not to alert the others of her odd behavior, she concluded that this was the perfect place to put her plan into action.

"This is it," Kimberly sobbed, "this is where they got him."

"Kimberly," Trini said softly, "there's nothing here."

With a glare Trini couldn't see through her helmet, Kimberly turned around fiercely. "Do you think I'm lying? I saw him! I saw the monster! And you-you-you!"

"Are about to be taught a lesson," a sinister voice said from the shadows.

"What the he-"

"Trini!" Billy screamed as he watched his friend take a devastating blow to the sternum.

Rolling to the left, Trini clutched at her side and groaned in pain for a moment. Clambering to her feet, she regained composure and drew her gun. Trying desperately to steady her hands and get a clear shot, her eyes wandered to Billy's fight raging on the other side of the street.

With a blur of blue, Billy was sent spiraling into Kimberly by a giant tombstone-shaped monster. Kimberly groaned in pain beneath him; mustering up all her energy to crawl away while Billy lay there injured. Having no time to react, the tombstone-shaped creature was hovering over him within an instant.

Trini returned her attention to the skeletal figure just in time to see two energy bolts coming her way. "Shit!" she cried, barely dodging one and failing to avoid the other.

"Trini!" Billy cried as he was launched into a car, "get Kim and run!"

Trini, however, didn't hear him, being too occupied with having the senses beaten out of her. Kimberly surveyed her work and smiled, _everything is going perfectly_. _My master will be so pleased_.

"I'm not having fun anymore," the skeletal creature taunted, "why don't we go for a little trip!" With a grunt of satisfaction, the monster sent itself and Trini spiraling into a cloud of purple smoke.

"Trini!" Billy cried, having escaped his attacker momentarily. "Kimberly, I don't see her! Ow!" He groaned as the tombstone-shaped menace hit him from behind. "We have no choice but to escape!" he shouted, grabbing Kimberly's hand, attempting to drag the statuesque Ranger away with him. "What are you doing?"

"Obeying my orders," Kimberly said as she kicked him in the abdomen with all her might, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Kimberly, what the hell?" Billy coughed.

_A/N: the chapter title is taken from "This is Halloween: from the musical-movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas"._

_A/N the second: I'm so sorry for the long hiatus. I was on vacation and quite unable to update from my location and my partner in crime was, as fate would have it, also on vacation.  
_


	11. Arc 1 Ascension: 11 This is Halloween 2

Chapter 11

This is Halloween Part 2

Zack felt a rush of energy enveloping his body as he began involuntarily levitating off the ground. Without having a chance to blink he turned into a black force that jumped through the sky into a far-off dust-brown tower which led into an even larger building. With a crash, he landed hard on his shoulder.

Looking around himself, he noticed the walls were black and had white lights shining out of them. There were computers control boxes lined in a circle, with a path leading off to, what appeared to be, a crystal ball. On the opposite side was a familiar floating head trapped in a glass tube. _Oh, right. I'm at the Command Center._

"What the hell!" he shouted, slamming his fist into the floor.

"Please, calm down Zack," Alpha said.

For the first time, Zack noticed he was on the floor and standing above him was the android, Alpha 5. "What's going on?" Zack asked, picking himself up off the floor.

"Zackary, your friends are in great danger. Please observe the Viewing Globe," Zordon commanded from his glass confinement.

Without thinking, Zack turned around and faced the Viewing Globe. A face played across the screen. No, not just any face, it was Kimberly. Zack watched the nights events play itself on the screen in only a matter of minutes.

"Zordon, what the hell is going on here?" Zack asked, his eyes never leaving the viewing globe.

"I believe Kimberly has been put under Dracula's thrall. She is not herself right now. She is acting under his control and is luring and attacking her team members. You must free her from his control and find out where the others," Zordon said.

"You can't just locate them with a molecular scanner and teleport them here?" Zack asked incredulously.

"We tried that," Zordon said, "something is blocking our scans."

"You're our last hope, Zack. You're everyone's last hope," Alpha chimed, "good luck."

"All right then," Zack said, reaching for then extending his Power Morpher out before him, "Mastodon!"

""""""""""'

With a flash of energy, Zack landed, this time on his feet. Surveying his surroundings, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary. A slight breeze, two walls on either side of him, and a bunch of trash on the ground. _I fell into a damn alleyway, covered in trash…and I just stepped into something green and slimy. Amazing targeting, Zordon, how about next time you send me to a goddamn KKK rally?_

Zack began to quietly make his way to the nearest open street. Keeping to the shadows, he peered into the street. A desolate, partially destroyed street was laid out before his eyes. Signs of a struggle and a broken car were all there was in sight. The surrounding buildings showed no sign of having been occupied in some years.

"What shall I do, Master?" a familiar voice said, "I can't find the black ranger an-"

Dracula quickly hushed her; "someone's close." His eyes darted wildly around the area, searching for some movement. On discovering he could sense none, he took in a deep breath of air through his nose. "Over there," he pointed to the alleyway Zack was hiding in, "your _friend_ is that way."

Kimberly grinned, "thank you, Master."

With a whoosh, Dracula disappeared, leaving Kimberly alone in the street. Turning around, Kimberly began her approach. Zack quietly cursed to himself. "Power Down!" he called. A white light traveled up and down his body, removing the Ranger coating from him.

"Zackary!" Kimberly called after she walked into the alley, "thank God you're here. We gotta-"

"Where are the others?" Zack demanded.

"I don't know, we were attacked. The monsters-"

"Where did you take them?" Zack said coldly.

"What are you talking about? The monsters! They-"

"I know what you're up to. Tell me where they are."

"Hmph," Kimberly pouted, turning her back on Zack, her hair whipping in the wind.

"Kimber-" to his surpise, Zack was cut short by a spinning kick to the head. "Fuck!" Zack screeched, catching her foot in the next spin. "You're being controlled! Snap out of it!" Kimberly hopped up and down on one foot, struggling to break free. With a twist, her other foot launched into the air and collided with Zack's skull, knocking him backward.

"You fuck!" Kimberly screamed, launching at him again.

"Kimberly, get control of your self!" Zack yelled, getting behind Kim and and putting her in a sleeper hold. "Kim, stop it!" Zack struggled to hold Kim, "where are the other Rangers?"

"Let go of me! You're hurting me, stop it!" Kimberly said, breaking down in tears.

"Oh, look, it's bad and kind sad. He's dressed in black and won't atttack," a voice said from Zack's left side.

"Who the fuck is there?" Zack said.

Kimberly took advantage of the distraction, slamming her foot down hard onto Zack's, she took off running.

"Kimberly!" Zack said, turning his attention from the new presence. Without thinking, he started to run after her, but was abruptly stopped by something hitting the back of his head. "What the fuck?" He turned around to see a monster with a pumpkin-shaped head leaning against a poorly lit wall.

"Did I forget to mention that I need your attention? You see, I chose you to-"

"Shut up!" Zack shouted.

"You should know, this is your end. You're all alone, you have no friends."

"I said shut up!" Within an instant Zack had his Power Morpher out before him. "Mastodon!" He called and quickly morphed into the Black Ranger.

"Well, well, what do you know. You've got a plan to finish this show!"

"Oh, Christ – stop rhyming!" Zack shouted, calling on his Power Axe.

"What's the matter, little man? All alone without a plan?"

"Oh, I got plan," Zack sneered, "and it's going right up your ass!" With a grunt, Zack swung his axe and the monster, instantly decapitating it.

"Oh, my, I guess I died, but your end's to come, no lie," the head said before deteriorating before Zack's eyes.

"You will die," Kimberly appeared before Zack after firing an arrow at him.

The arrow fell harmless to the side, deflected by Zack's Ranger suit.

"Kimberly, knock this off. You're being used!" Zack said, dodging Kimberly's next attack.

"I only wish to serve my Master," Kimberly said, launching another arrow at him.

"The only master you have to obey is yourself." Zack caught the arrow and threw it aside carelessly, "Don't let this muthafucka control you!"

"Oh, enough with the clichéd dialogue, Zack. I thought you were better than that," Kimberly mocked.

"Well, you're a white bitch, I thought you might fall for it," Zack said, getting behind Kimberly and catching her in another restraining hold, "either way, you have to tell me where the others are."

"Oh, I'll show you," Kimberly said, kicking straight up to Zack's head and dislodging herself from his hold, "just close your eyes and stick your neck out."

"Yeah, like I'm that retarded!" Zack spat.

"Well, you're a black, I thought you might fall for it," Kimberly said doing a split and almost hitting Zack in a tender spot.

"Kimberly," Zack sighed, "I'm sorry I have to do this but," with a hard smack to her head, Zack screamed, "snap out of it!"

At that point, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Kimberly fell backward on to the hard cement with a thud. After a few moments, Kimberly rubbed her head and looked around wildly.

"Zack, wh-what happened? Where am I?" Kimberly said in a frightened whisper.

"You were under a spell, Kimberly." Zack kneeled beside her. "The others are in trouble; quick, do you remember anything?"

"Yeah, I remember…this!" Kimberly shouted, striking Zack over the head as hard as she could, knocking him unconscious. "Master, I got him!" Kimberly shouted into the air.

"Perfect," Dracula said, his voice forming a beautiful melody with a thick Romanian accent.

"Yes, perfect," Kimberly grinned, "did I do good, Daddy?"

"Yes," Dracula's hand slipped down Kimberly's back, to her butt, "you did just fine."

"Master, can we go back now? I want my reward," Kimberly pouted.

"Yes, of course," Dracula grinned, "just give me your morphing coin, first, my sweet."

"But it's so pretty," Kimberly pouted, "can't I hold onto it, just a little longer?"

"Only if you don't want your reward." Kimberly turned her back on Dracula and began to sob. "I know what you need," Dracula said with a sigh. With a blur of motion, he made a cut on his wrist and presented it to her.

"Ew! Like, totally gross!" Kimberly blanched but quickly corrected herself, "I mean…wouldn't this be better by a roaring fire in a nice warm room?"

"Why?" Dracula asked.

"Because it's more romantic," Kimberly giggled.

"All right, then," Dracula sighed.

Dracula walked over to where Zack lay unconscious and retrieved his Power Morpher. "Excellent," he said, reminding Kimberly of Mr. Burns from _The Simpsons_.

"Let's go," Dracula said.

Taking Kimberly's hand in his, he closed his eyes and envisioned the roaring fire in his bedroom. A gray mist formed around their feet, and slowly traveled up their bodies, into Kimberly's eyes, blocking her view. _This is weird,_ she thought. Her head began spinning as the mist traveled up her nose, into her lungs.

Suddenly, the mist was gone and Kimberly found herself standing in a Victorian styled room, in non-ranger form. A large bed-frame stood against the far wall, lined with, what one must assume, to be expensive cloths. It's high poles reaching for the ceiling. A fireplace roared in the wall directly behind her casting shadows on the wall. If she looked to her left, opposite the only door in the room, she'd have the greatest view of Angel Grove from atop the highest tower in Dracula's castle.

"Now, lie down," Kimberly giggled, "and close your eyes."

"I may have fallen for that one a century ago, but not again!" Dracula hissed.

"Fine," Kimberly turned her back to him, "then I guess we do this the hard way." With the reflexes of a cat, she spun and dug the stake into his chest.

Or she would have if he hadn't have turned himself into a blue cloud of mist. With the fluidity of water, the mist slicked behind Kimberly's back. The cold draft caused Kimberly to shudder as it condensed and Dracula materialized behind her. Grasping her ponytail, he jerked her head back fiercely.

"Oh, Dracy, I was just kidding," Kimberly kidding, "I just wanna play."

"No! You're game is up," with a guttural shout, Dracula threw Kimberly at a nearby stone wall, "you will die, just like your friends."

Kimberly quickly tucked the stake back into her belt and grabbed for her Power Morpher. Holding it out before her; she opened her mouth to call out her guardian's name, but was cut off by a hand to her throat. Complete and utter shock took over her mind. _Oh, God, I'm gonna die!_

Gasping for air and not thinking clearly, Kimberly dropped her Power Morpher to the ground and wrapped her hands around the hand that was choking her. As her face turned blue, Kimberly scratched frantically at the hand but had no affect on him. With a last coruscation, she reached for the stake stuffed in her belt.

"Any last words, Pink Ranger?" Dracula hissed.

"Yeah," Kimberly grunted, clutching the wooden stake in her hand, "trick or treat!" Summoning the last strength in her body, she raised the stake and brought it down hard, burying it deep into her attacker's chest.

"Gah!" Dracula cried as his body slowly turned to dust.

The hand clamping down on Kimberly's next slowly turned to dust and she collapsed on the floor. Taking deep breaths Kimberly calmed her self down within ten minutes. Her mind raced as she formed a plan. Eyeing the door, she collected her Power Morpher and left the room.

""""""""""'

"Oh, Doomsy," Kimberly said, having finally found his room after about ten minutes of searching aimlessly through the Victorian-style halls of Dracula's castle, "I'm so lonely. I haven't seen Drac for hours, have you?"

"Wasn't he with you?" Doomstone asked.

"Er…" Kimberly faltered, "no, he left me all alone. It's so cold. Hold me?" Kimberly wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.

"Sorry, dear," Doomstone lamented, "I'm naturally cold. I couldn't do much for you."

"Oh," Kimberly sighed, "that's a pity. Got someone who can?"

"No."

"No? What about the Blue boy?" Kimberly asked sweetly.

"You want the nerdy kid?" Doomstone asked incredulously.

"Please?" Kimberly asked, trying to look her cutest and most vulnerable.

"Fine," the monster said with an annoyed sigh, "I'll go get him."

Kimberly watched the monster trudge off into the other room. Kimberly took the alone time to familiarize herself with the room. It was much like Dracula's, except it had two doors in it and an ancient looking sword hung above the fireplace.

A loud bang forced Kimberly to quickly returned her attention to the door Doomstone left from.

"Here he is," Doomstone said, throwing a bound and gagged Billy at her feet.

"Oh, he's perfect!" Kimberly said, leaning down and bringing her mouth to his ear, "play along," she said in a whisper, "I got a plan."

Kimberly quickly removed the gag from Billy's mouth. "Oh, no! You're so evil!" Billy said, his acting failing worse than Jennifer Lopez's movie career.

"Way to be obvious" Kimberly glared at him menacingly.

"Die Rangers!" Doomstone shouted, lunging at them.

"Shit!" Kimberly screamed, "Billy, when we get back to school, enroll in the drama club!"

"Uh…what?"

"Now's not the time," Kimberly reached for her Power Morpher, holding it out before her, she called out, "Pterodac-" but the Power Morpher was kicked from her hand before she could finish her requirements for morphing.

"Kimberly, quick, untie me!" Billy screamed.

Doomstone moved quickly for a block of stone, retrieving the sword from the fireplace, he turned and set his death-gaze on the two teenagers.

"There's no time! We gotta run!" Kimberly said, struggling to move him.

"So, which of you do I kill first?" Doomstone asked, waving the sword in their faces.

Acting out of fear, Kimberly sent a swift kick to Doomstone's midsection, knocking him backward several feet. A loud cracking sound enveloped the room and, much to Kimberly's surprise, Doomstone cracked straight down the middle and quickly turned to dust. _Did I kick him that hard? Damn, I don't know my own strength._

As the dust settled, Kimberly saw a familiar face.

"Miss me?" Zack asked, clutching his Power Axe in his hands.

"Oh, God, yes," Kimberly said with total relief in her voice, "wait, how the hell did you get here?"

"Well…I saw a castle and thought 'since when does Angel Grove have a motherfucking castle'," Zack said.

"Ooh, right," Kimberly face-palmed.

"Whatever, right now we need to find Trini and Jason," Zack said.

"Where is Trini?" Billy demanded.

"I'm pretty sure Bones took Trini to another dimension," Kimberly said uneasily.

"I'm gonna go find Trini," Billy said, after being untied "you and Zack go find Jason."

"No…you and Zack go find Trini, I'll find Jason," Kimberly corrected. "Just. Do. It." She added before they had a chance to protest.

"Triceratops!" Billy called, causing a blue light to engulf his body as he transformed into the Blue Ranger.

""""""""""'

"So, how do we find this other dimension?" Zack asked as they explored the halls of the castle.

"Well, it can't be too far. It's here in this castle, somewhere," Billy said, marveling at the sculptures that lined the walls.

Zack sighed, and continued past two ornate sculptures shaped into the form of human skeletons, "Well, I-"

As Zack's voice cut out, Billy began to panic. His heartbeat accelerated and his breathing hitched. Shaking uncontrollably, he scanned the room for any sign of his friend.

"I found it," Zack said smugly.

"You fuck!" Billy screamed uncharacteristically.

"Stop standing around, we gotta save Trini!" Zack commanded.

The air was thick and seemed to swirl in tight coils around Billy and Zack's helmets as they stepped into Bone's dimension. The sky was black and the ground seemed to be not at all visible but still mist swirled around their ankles. The place seemed to have a gravity level that far exceeded that of the Rangers' own dimension.

"Do you see anything?" Billy asked, breathing heavily.

"I see the same shit as you do," Zack said.

"Trini, where are you?" Billy called out, his echo coming back to him.

The wind blew through the only tree in sight, causing the leaves to rustle.

Finally, "over here! Help!" a voice came back.

"Trini!" Billy shouted, "this way. Come on, Zack!"

Trini was fighting off a gang of Putties when her teammates arrived to rescue her. A blow was dealt to her stomach, then to her lower back and finally a barrage of kicks were sent to her after she hit the ground. "Trini!" Billy shouted, rushing to her side he threw the Putties off of her and helped her to her feet.

"You're in a dimension of illusions," Trini said, before twisting Billy's arm behind his back and throwing him a far distance south.

"Billy!" Zack called, "what the hell did yo-" he stopped, noticing that Trini was a Putty. "You bitch!"

"You're in a dimension of illusions," it said again, before blasting him north.

Billy found himself on lying on very lumpy ground. Shaking his head he-

"Hey, get the fuck off of me!" Trini cried.

"Trini?" Billy asked, "is this really you or another Putty?"

"I thought I told you to move your scrawny ass!" Trini shouted.

"It is you!" Billy cheered and clambered to his feet. "Hurry, we have to find Zack."

As quickly as he said it, he found himself face to face with the Black Ranger.

"That was easy," Trini said.

"How did you – er…never mind," Billy said, "let's just focus on getting out of here. Trini, you might want to morph."

"Right," Trini said, reaching for her Power Morpher, "Saber-toothed Tig-"

A sudden explosion knocked them all to their feet and Trini's Morpher from her hand. A shadow overtook them and Trini scrambled to find her Morpher in the darkness. Her hand brushed over something hard and smooth. Bringing it to her eyes, Trini realized what it was.

"What'sa matter? Ain'tcha never seen a talking skull before?" the skull said.

Trini let out an ear-shattering scream before throwing the skull to the ground. Billy looked over to see what the matter was but soon found himself crawling backward until his back was pressed against a tree. "What the hell?" Zack shouted, noticing the skull, too.

The trio stared in horror as the skull began to levitate in front of them. In one swift move, the skull had floated over to a seven-foot skeleton and attached itself to the spine. A faint yellow glow began in the eye sockets, which quickly grew into a light that engulfed the room and subsequently blinded the Rangers.

Searing pain overtook their bodies and they quickly realized what happened. The light was actually meant to precede a laser blast that had shortly followed.

"Guys! Before he has another chance, blast at once with the Power Blasters!" Billy grunted.

Drawing their blasters, the three Rangers took aim and quickly fired. Three bolts of energy were sent hurtling at the monster, making contact only seconds after they were fired. However, much to their dismay, the attacks simply bounced off the skeletal menace.

"I thought I was smart enough to think up a feasible plan but I have failed," Billy said meekly,

"Translation?"

"We need Jason," Trini said in utter shock.

""""""""""'

"Jason, where are you?" Kimberly said under her breath.

Kimberly felt completely deprived of energy and just wanted to lie down for a while. For what seemed like hours, Kimberly had been searching the castle for any sign of Jason and not finding any. What little hope she had left was dwindling.

"Christ!" Kimberly shouted in pure aggravation.

Within minutes, the Frankenstein Monster had appeared at her side. "What is matter?" he grunted.

"Er…" Kimberly stumbled. _Hey, maybe I can trick him into leading me to Jason! _"Oh, Frankie," Kimberly said, being as sexy as she could and trying to show off as much cleavage as she could, "I'm _so _lonely."

"That too bad," Frankenstein said bluntly.

_That dead bastard! _ Kimberly thought, desperately trying to suppress the urge to punch him.

"Is there somebody that could keep me company?" Kimberly pouted.

"Me no want to," Frankenstein said in his stunted English.

"Know someone else?" Kimberly said, brushing up against him.

"Where Dracula? You with him, no?" Frankenstein said.

"He left me alone _hours_ ago, I've been so lonely since then. Isn't there someone who could keep me company?" Kimberly pouted again.

After a pause, Frankenstein finally responded, "follow."

Kimberly followed for a few rooms before a bound and gagged Jason slowly came into view. Suppressing the urge to run over to him, Kimberly turned to Frankenstein deliberately. She brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes while putting on her most innocent smile.

"Frankie," Kimberly smirked, "he's perfect! How can I _ever_ repay you?"

"Me no interested," Frankenstein said bluntly.

Kimberly looked at Jason, his wide-eyed stare at her said so much. _How can someone put so much emotion into a single look?_ she thought. Hurt, anger, sadness, surprise and more.

"Don't worry," Kimberly mouthed the words, "I've got a plan." Kimberly quickly turned her attention back to Frankenstein.

In a flash, Kimberly pulled out her Power Morpher and called out, "Pterodactyl!" As the pink light enveloped her body, Frankenstein stumbled back in shock and landed on a Fire Poker near the room's fireplace.

"I…that was easy," Kimberly said, seeing the monster impaled. She turned quickly to Jason. Leaning by his side, she quickly began untie the ropes that bound him.

"Thanks," Jason said after the restraints were removed. "I guess you snapped out of it, huh?" After stretching his arms and legs to relieve the stiffness, he quickly retrieved his Power Morpher from the fallen monster.

"Tyrannosaurus!" he called out and a red light temporarily blinded Kimberly as he transformed into the Red Ranger.

"All right," Kimberly said, "we need to go find the others."

A flood of pain entered Kimberly's body and she felt herself being lifted and thrown into something. A loud cracking and rumbling sound and she saw the rooms flying past her and the revived Frankenstein monster stumbling through the holes in the walls.

""""""""""'

"We need Jason." The words echoed and bounced around Jason's head in a distorted fashion but gradually cleared as he came to his senses. His vision, which had blurred on impact with the cold, hard surface they were lying on now, had cleared to reveal Trini, Zack and Billy standing before him.

"You called?" Jason said groggily as he climbed to his feet.

"Prodigious!" Billy cried.

"Hey, Fags-R-Us," Kimberly clutched her side, "Frankenstein over here wants to play!"

"Oh, goody, goody another friend." Bones clapped his hands and jumped like an excited two-year old.

"Shit!" Jason shouted, as a hand clamped around his throat. His friends watched in horror as he was lifted off the ground.

"Power Bow!" Kimberly called and shot an arrow that was quickly blocked by the skeletal menace.

"Oh, not so fast!" the bony monster said, throwing the arrow to the ground.

"Kimberly!" Billy shouted, "we'll distract him, you help Jason!"

Kimberly reloaded her Power Bow as her friends attacked Bones head-on with their weapons; Billy with his Power Lance, Trini with her Power Daggers and Zack with his Power Axe.

Kimberly took aim and Frankenstein again and fired. The arrow whipped from the bow with lightening fast speed and pierced the creature's abdomen.

With a grunt, the behemoth pulled it out and flung it across the plane with ease. The beast focused its eyes on the squirming human beneath his fingers. A menacing glare was sent and he squeezed tighter.

Jason struggled hopeless against the monster and his efforts were met with the hand squeezing even tighter.

"Jason!" Trini shrieked.

"Quick," Billy shouted, "everyone shoot him now!"

"What?" Kimberly screeched.

"Th-the monster," Billy corrected, "shoot the monster. On the count of three! One." They Rangers drew their Power Blasters. "Two." And aimed carefully, in fear of hurting their friend. "Three!" Four bright beams of color shot from the barrels of their guns and made contact with the unnatural being. A guttural shout later and Jason was sprawled out on the surface of Bones' Dimension.

"Shit!" Jason gasped, taking in big gulps of breath. "Way too close!" Jumping to his feet, he called on his Power Sword. "All right, guys! Let's bring it together!"

"All right!" Kimberly said, her bowing flying to connect with Zack's Power Axe.

"I'm in!" Billy said as he threw his Power Lance and watched it combine with the weapon resting in Zack's hands.

"Let's do this!" Trini said, throwing her Power Daggers in the mix.

"Everyone, calm the fuck down! I got this!" Jason said as he used his Power Sword to finish the Power Blaster. "Everyone get ready…aim…and fire!"

In a terrifying display of power, the attack was sent hurtling off into the sky as something quickly darted through and reflected the attack. The sky crackled with energy. As the dust settled, another shape arose from the blackness.

"Shit! I thought I killed you!" Kimberly screamed.

"Don't you know," a thick accented voice drawled, "I never die."

"We'll see about that!" Kimberly shouted. "Quick, split them up, they're too strong together."

"On it!" Zack said as he and Billy been began attacking Bones head on with their Power Weapons.

"We got Franky," Trini shouted as she and Jason began pounding on the behemoth.

A few quick punches and well-timed kicks, Kimberly had Dracula on the ground in submission. "Give it up, you lunatic," Kimberly shouted as she shoved the vampire onto a branch that had grown astray from the tree. "Or just turn to dust," she sneered. "And this time stay that way!"

Brushing herself off, she summoned her Power Bow once again and focused her attention on Frankenstein.

"Kimberly, behind you!" Billy's warning came too late and Kimberly found herself sprawled on the ground. A cloister of Putties had surrounded her and was now holding her down.

"Fuck it!" Kimberly cried and performed a spinning kick that knocked all of the Putties onto their backs.

Stumbling to her feet, Kimberly witnessed Jason shoving his Power Sword into Frankenstein's chest. With a furious grunt, he pulled out it. Blood showered both the Red and Yellow Rangers, which would have made them identical if it wasn't for Trini's smaller frame.

"God-fuck it!" Trini screamed in disgust. She began to wipe her helmet clean of the monster blood.

"Kill monsters now - bitch later, Trini," Jason said with humor in his voice. "All right, team, we got one left!"

"Let's take him together!" Kimberly shouted, readying his Power Axe.

"The thighbone's connected to the hip bone!" Billy sang then cut off the thighbone. "But not anymore!" His sneer went unseen in his helmet.

"No," the creature shouted, "I need that to stand!" Bones wobbled a bit before finally falling to the floor and shattering.

"And don't forget," Trini shouted as she readied her daggers, "the neck bone's connected to the head bone!" A lethal swipe and the head went rolling to Kimberly's feet. "But not anymore!" _I…argh! Did I really just copy him? Okay, maybe I'm not so good with holding a grudge, but damnit, it shouldn't be so easy to forgive him! I…is Kimberly saying something? Maybe I should pay attention._

"…go party!" Kimberly said.

"You wanna party?" Jason said incredulously.

"Well, yes, we just kicked major monster ass, I think we deserve something along the lines of a celebration."

"Juice Bar?" Jason suggested.

"Juice Bar!" Kimberly agreed.

"I'm down," Trini said.

"For sure!" Billy nodded.

"It's 'fo sho'. And I'm in too," Zack's wide smile was hidden by his helmet.

"Do you guys mind if I bring Rocky along?" Jason asked.

"I don't mind," Kimberly smiled, as she demorphed.

"Who's Rocky?" Billy asked.

"Some fag from school," Zack said.

"Watch it, Zack. Rocky's my…friend," Jason said in a low voice.

"Yeah, his bosom buddy," Kimberly smirked. "Except with less bosom and more ass."

"Uh…what?" Billy said, his stomach getting queasy.

"Nothing, let's go," Jason said, laughing inwardly.

""""""""""'

"Ashley!" Zack shouted as the brunette walked in. "Getcho fine ass over here! Jason wants a dance!"

Ashley pushed through the crowded dance floor to the table where the five teenagers sat. "Hi." Her cleavage in plain sight due to her leather cop outfit.

"Hi," Jason said gruffly. _Where is Rocky? I called him over a half-hour ago!_

"Hey, Jason," Ashley said innocently. Waiting until he was looking at her to continue. "I, I know you think I'm strange but–"

"Hey, peeps!" Rocky wore a wide smile as he strode to the table.

"Hey, Rocky," Jason grinned in a goofy manner.

_Fuck! _Ashley's mind screamed.

"What is she doing here?" Rocky whispered into Jason's ear.

"I don't know," he sighed. "Hey, Rocky, have a drink with us! I'll get you whatever you want."

"Thanks, but I'm not thirsty right now," Rocky smiled.

"So, what happened to you earlier; you kinda disappeared?" Jason asked.

"Oh, I went back to the school, I made sure the kids got back safe," Rocky said, not really believing his own words.

"Yeah, but…why did the kids run off, they said you were attacked?" Jason asked.

"I wasn't attacked," Rocky said with a perplexed look on his face. "We finished Trick-Or-Treating and went back to the school. What dimension were you in?"

"I…I'm just glad you're okay," Jason smiled.

"So," Ashley butted in, "Jason, will you be taking drama next semester?"

"Billy sure should," Kimberly smirked from behind her drink. "_Oh, no, you're so evil!_" She chuckled. "Douche."

"Did I miss something here?" Ashley's confused voice was almost lost in the din.

"Yeah, about half of your brain," Kimberly rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me?" Ashley said, her voice taking on a defensive and snobby tone.

"Er…it's been a long night, let's not do this!" Jason cut in.

"I'm taking Drama, too," Ashley smiled politely at Jason.

"I'm…not?" Jason said, unease flooding his body.

"Jason, could we talk in private? Please?" Ashley pleaded.

A quick glance at Rocky for confirmation left him feeling a bit nauseous, as all the Latino did was shake his head. "I'm sure whatever you have to say, you can say in front of my friends…and Zack," Jason said.

"Yo, fuck you!" Zack shouted.

"Hey, I _love _this song! I wanna dance!" Kimberly shouted gleefully.

"Oh?" Zack perked up.

"Hey, look, Kimberly, there's Tommy! You should go ask him to dance!" Trini said excitedly.

"Oh…" Zack's voice took on a depressed tone.

"Hey, Trini-"

"Don't talk to me," Trini said harshly. "I'm…praying." She switched to the now open seat, where Kimberly was, to get away from Billy.

"Trini, look, I'm sorry. I'm just a screw up. I'm not used to these situations. I'm usually not the one who has girls jumping at him," Billy said.

"Did you make a list of reasons?" Trini said, then spied the piece of paper in his hand. "Oh, of course you did."

"Trini…I'm sorry, I really am," Billy said solemnly.

After a pause, Trini finally said, "you're sorry?"

"I am. But if you still want to be mad at me, I get it. I'm an idiot."

With a sigh, Trini asked, "wanna dance?"

"Uh…sure," Billy smiled. Taking her hand he led her onto the dance floor.

"Wanna dance, Jason?" Ashley asked sweetly.

"I don't dance," _with women _just finished in his head.

"Jason…why don't you like me?" Ashley asked, her heart feeling heavy.

"I…uh…" he glanced around nervously looking for a scapegoat or some kind of distraction. Something to get him out of this situation. "It's not-"

"Woo!" Kimberly shouted excitedly. "I fucking dancing but I need another drink!"

"Where's Tommy?" Jason asked.

"He went home," Kimberly said, sounding a bit bitter. "He didn't want to dance."

"Oh," was all Jason could say as he watched Kimberly down the rest of her drink.

"Jason!" Ashley cried. "Please don't ignore me!"

"I…oh…I'm sorry," Jason said hushed.

"I know I can be a bit weird, but I'm sure if you got to know me-"

"Sorry, Billy," Trini said as they approached the table. "I guess I'm a bit too worn out to dance."

"Oh, for fuck's sake! Jason, I'm so sick of all these distractions and interruptions! Tell me, why don't you want to be with me?" Ashley screamed.

"I…"

"Is it me? Am I too ugly? Too fat? Is it my hair? My eyes? Tell me so I can change it!"

"It's not you!" Jason protested.

"Yeah, right. I get it. Nobody likes me. I'm ugly, I'm trash, worthless…" Ashley said, her actions becoming rather frightening and erratic.

"It's just…me. Being…gay." _Did I really just say that? Out loud? _"With Rocky." _Oh, God…stop me. _"A lot." _Maybe if I stapled my mouth shut?_

"I know," Ashley said, her voice taking on a deadly undertone as she narrowed her eyes as soon as Rocky was in her field of vision. "It's him."

"And what did I do exactly?" Rocky asked defensively.

"You're taking my love away!" Ashley shouted as she rose from her chair. In a flash, before anyone had time to react, Ashley had shoved Rocky hard against the table behind him.

"Woah!" Jason said, stepping between the two. "That's enough!"

"Jason, move! Please! As soon as he's dead, we can be together!" Ashley pleaded.

"What a crazy bitch!" Rocky groaned as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm not crazy!" Ashley screamed.

"Woah, guys, enough!" Kimberly shouted.

"You fucking faggot!" Ashley hurtled herself towards Rocky but Jason quickly shoved her away.

"Jason, please understand. I need you!" Ashley wept from her place on the floor.

"You just attacked my boyfriend!" Jason raged.

"Boy…boyfriend?" Rocky asked taken aback.

Jason blushed.

"He's not your boyfriend! How can he be!" Ashley screamed. "Jason, we're soul mates, I know we are!"

"Crazy bitch isn't just crazy," Zack said nervously, "she's fucking insane!"

With a surprising ferocity, Ashley barreled her body into Zack, knocking him down.

"Ow, you bitch!" Zack groaned.

"Keep your mouth shut!" Ashley said as she kicked him in the shin. Turning to Jason, she started up again, "Jason what can I do to convince you? How can I show I love you?"

"You don't even know me!" Jason shouted back.

"Yes, I do! I know everything about you! I know that your favorite food is Lasagne…"

"It's Sushi, actually," Rocky rolled his eys.

"I know your favorite artist is Sublime."

"Ace of Base," Rocky coughed.

"Shut up!" Ashley screamed at him. "How could you truly understand our love? You're a freak of nature! An abnormality! No one wants or appreciates your opinion!"

A stunned silence rocked through the Rangers and Rocky. Kimberly found the nerve, after a silence, to say something. "Ashley," Kimberly said in a low voice, but still loud enough to be heard over the music, "Jason is gay. G-A-Y gay. Do you understand what that means?"

"Fine," Ashley said with tears in her eyes. "I get it. I understand…nobody wants me. Not really." She gasped, brushing tears from her eyes. "I'll go home. I'll go to sleep and when daddy comes into my room, and starts fucking me. I'll pretend I'm not there." By now, tears were streaming down her face and she was choking on the air.

"Yeah, you do that," Zack sneered then a shocked look came over his face. "Wait…what?"

"And by tomorrow," she gasped, "this won't matter because," Looking at Jason, she wiped tears from her eyes, "you'll never love me. I get it." She sobbed. "You'll never love me. _Nobody _will ever love me."

"That makes sense," Billy said in a shock.

"No!" Ashley cried defiantly. "I will prove to you that I love you!" In the blink of an eye, she had scooped up a kitchen knife that Ernie left carelessly on the counter. "Who else would die for you?" Ashley screamed as she plunged the knife deep into her abdomen. "Not some faggot," she groaned as blood dripped from her mouth.

Gasps and screams were heard around the room and Jason's mouth went dry and his palms were clammy and sweaty.

"Everybody stop what you're doing!" a voice called from the back.

Vaguely, Jason realized it was a police officer with their gun at the ready. A familiar voice caught his attention. He turned his head to face Rocky, but everything seemed distorted. He blinked once, then again and finally snapped back to reality.

"I think you should sit down," Rocky said.

Behind them, paramedics had been called and were loading Ashley onto a stretcher that would transport her to the ambulance waiting outside which would, in turn, bring her to a hospital. His eyes darted around the room and locked onto an approaching police officer.

"He's probably gonna ask us what happened," Kimberly whispered in his ear. "Just stay calm and tell him the truth."

"Why me?" Jason choked.


	12. Arc 1 Ascension: 12 I Got My Eyes on You

Metamorphosis  
Arc 1: Ascension  
Chapter 13:  
"I Got My Eye On You"

Trini waited impatiently by her front door, every so often she abandoned her pacing to check the clock. Her father, Steve, watched her suspiciously, wondering what was going on.

"_Trini, what are you waiting for?_" he asked in Vietnamese.

"_I have a date,_" she replied.

"_Were you going to introduce him to us, first?_" he scolded.

"_Er…no?_" she faked a smile and laughed.

He glared disapprovingly at her for a moment before calling his wife into the room. "_Did you know of this?_"

"_She had asked me, but I told her to retrieve your permission_," Cindy said.

"Mom, please do something!" Trini begged.

"No!" her father exclaimed, "no boy date my daughter without parent approval first!"

"I…uh…oh, come on!" Trini shouted. "Please, just let me go."

"No, he may no be good enough for you," her father said. "He come have dinner with us. We inspect and make decision."

Trini sighed, defeated.

"Mom, I don't know if he'll like Sushi," Trini choked. "He's white."

Her father looked at her as if she had just sprouted another head that was currently spewing bile over the room. Her mother kept her plastered-on, patented grin of happiness.

"I make steak!" Cindy said proudly.

"_Just kill me_," Trini muttered as the door rang.

"That him?" Steve asked.

"I – uh – I don't have X-Ray vision," she snapped and immediately felt fear under the glare of her father. "I'll just answer the door."

"Make sure he take shoe off!" she heard her father shout across the room as she let Billy in.

""""""""""'

Jason glanced nervously around him at Rocky's family. The conversation drifted between Spanish and English so quickly that he could barely follow what was spoken in English. He swallowed. His stomach was in knots and he felt as if he were going to vomit at any second.

He sat at a long, old-fashioned dinner table with Rocky to his right and Rocky's mother to his left. Rocky's family wasn't any bigger than his own family. He had a mother, a father, a brother and a sister.

"Jason, how is your food?" Marcella, Rocky's mother, asked, her voice thick with an accent.

"Uh…it's pretty good," Jason said, forcing a smile. "Ow!" he said after feeling a sharp kick under the table, to his right. He glared at Rocky for a second before noticing everyone was looking at him. "I…uh…banged my knee."

"I don't hear something," Cristina, Rocky's grandmother, said. Her face was laced with lines of wisdom and Jason couldn't help but smile at her first attempt at English all night.

"I…it's nothing. I'm fine," Jason said not sure if she could understand.

Rocky grinned at him. "Relax. This isn't that bad." He grimaced. "Right?"

""""""""""'

'So…" Trini said nervously, her eyes darting from Billy to her parents and then back to Billy. "Well, this was fun, but Billy must be going now."

"Oh, no! He stay! He watch movie!" her father said.

"Daddy," Trini groaned and face-palmed, "please."

"No, he stay!" he said in a sharp tone.

"No, that's quite all right," Billy said, "it's getting late and there's school tomorrow."

"Right! Right!" Trini piped in. "And if he doesn't go to school, he can't get an education and get into a good college and become a doctor that makes lots of money and he won't be able to support me and our children!" Trini babbled.

"Uh..wha-OW!" Trini slammed her foot down onto Billy's, "Uh…right! Education is good! Must get sleep to concentrate! Bye now!"

"_He's strange_," Cindy said as she watched her daughter rush her boyfriend out the front door.

A few moments later found Trini in her room, sulking. _Is it really necessary to embarrass me in front of everyone?_

""""""""""'  


"So," Rocky chuckled nervously, "that was my crazy family."

"Yeah…it was," Jason smiled, "and it wasn't as bad as I thought."

Rocky's face broke into a smile. Jason was lying on Rocky's bed while he watch his boyfriend pace back and forth in what he thought was a very cute way. "So…what do we do now?"

Jason grinned back at him. "Got any ideas?"

"Got one," Rocky pounced on him and pressed his lips to boyfriend's.

Jason's heart fluttered as he allowed Rocky's tongue access to his mouth. He shut his eyes and placed his hands on Rocky's body, holding his head to his and wrapping his other arm around Rocky's back. Jason pulled him closer and –

"Knock knock, you boys want dessert?" Marcella opened the door, startling both boys.

"Shit!" Jason muttered as he scooted away from his boyfriend, curling up near the headboard.

"Uh…I think-I think we're okay," Rocky said have scrambled to the foot of the bed, looking rather flush.

Marcella grinned, "okay…keep the door open."

"Mom!" Rocky groaned and kicked the door shut. Jason giggled like a nervous school girl. "Now…where were we."

"Calm down, Romeo," Jason winked, "let's not have that ha-hey! You have a guitar!"

Sure enough, Rocky had a six-string leaning against his wall. Bronze in color, it could've easily stood as tall as his brother, Justin, could. It looked well kept up, not a spec of dust to be seen on it.

"Uh…yeah," Rocky's nerves were acting up.

"You never told me you played." Jason's eyes lit up.

"Well, it's not important. It's not like it's my life or…something."

"Play me something!" Jason smiled sweetly.

"I…what?"

"Come on!"

"I wouldn't know what to play."

Jason pouted.

"I…fine." Rocky sighed and picked up his guitar. He strummed a few chords experimentally, hummed a tune and then turned around and began strumming.

"_I'm crazy for you, touch me once and you'll know it's true. I never wanted anyone like this; it's all brand new. You'll feel it in my kiss. I'm crazy for you._" Rocky put the guitar aside and jumped on the bed. As he straddled Jason's hips, he quietly whispered under his breath _ "Crazy for you_" and then went in for the kiss.

"You fag," Jason laughed and then kissed him again.

""""""""""'

Kimberly waked into her mother's room, kicking a plethora of beer bottles that called the floor their home. Stumbling over more, she searched for the light switch in the dark room. Finding it, she switched it on, but quickly shut her eyes at the unwelcome change.

"What the hell!" her mother shouted, "what do you want?"

"Mom? I…"

"What is it?" her mother screeched.

"I was just gonna ask about dad," Kimberly said hurriedly.

"He's, you know, gone," her mother slurred.

"I know he's gone," Kimberly sighed, "but I'm just worried about him, is all. Uh…and I'm worried about you, mostly."

Kimberly had noticed the alcohol stash drop significantly. The beer in the fridge was gone and the scotch, tequila, and bourbon bottles, which were kept in her father's hand-carved wooden liquor cabinet, which had been passed down to him from his great-grandfather, had been missing for a few days. Kimberly figured her mother had them stashed under her bed. She'd ask her mother but knew the answer would be a 'shut the fuck up' and a smack in the face.

"Don't worry about me," her mother slurred, "I can manage on my own."

"But mom-"

"Get out!" her mother shouted. "I'm drinking here!"

Moving as fast as she could, Kimberly narrowly avoided a 40 being thrown at her head.

""""""""""'

The television projected images across Zack's face, making him into somewhat of a projector screen. He yawned and stretched, blinking his heavy eyelids. He glanced at the clock quickly. _11 o'clock, huh? Mom should be home soon._ The door slammed loudly. _Right on time._

"Why are you still awake?" his mother, Darlene, asked him as she walked past the living room and into the kitchen.

There house wasn't a big one, but big enough to house Zack, his baby-sister, Courtney, and his mother. It was one-story building with the bedrooms all swept to one side of the house, with the living room, kitchen and bathroom to the other. "Waiting up for you," Zack yawned.

"You should really be in bed," his mother chided. "Did you finish your homework?"

Zack groaned. "Of course, I did, mom. Do you want to check it, like you did when I was 8?" He sneered.

"Might have to start, I've been getting calls from the school, you know, saying you're failing," Darlene narrowed her eyes at Zack.

"I…I'm sorry, I've been trying," Zack said, his eyes downcast.

"It's all right," Darlene placed a comforting hand on her son's shoulder. "Just…try to do better."

""""""""""'

The following morning was cold as ice. Dark clouds loomed in the sky, threatening to unleash a torrent of snow. Students huddled into the school, bundled in heavy jackets, earmuffs and scarves. The hallways were filled with chatter, mainly about the upcoming Christmas break and the New Year – the beginning of the new millenium.

Trini leaned against her locker, her books pressed against her chest and her eyes locked on Billy who was standing a foot in front of her. "So, last night went well," he said with a nervous quiver in his voice, "want to see a movie tonight?"

Trini bit her lip nervously, "I don't know if I can. You know how my parents are."

Billy furrowed his brow, "but I thought they liked me?"

"Well, mom does but dad's a lot harder to convince," Trini shrugged. "I mean…I understand that he's just trying to look out for me, but…I just want a bit of personal freedom."

"Oh, come on," Billy nudged her, "don't you wanna go out tonight?"

"You mean…just go anyway?" A light bulb would have appeared over Trini's head, had this been a Loony Tunes cartoon. "Oh, I know! I think I can lie to them! I'll just tell them I stayed after school for tutoring!" She grinned. "Yeah, let's do that!"

A few hours later found them standing in the cold outside the movie theatre, trying to decide which movie to see. Trini shivered and looked at her watch and then longing at the door, wanting to be inside, away from the cold. Her eyes darted instantly to a poster.

" How about _Typical Teen Romance Movie that All Teen Girls will Love and All Teen Boys will Hate...Unless They're Gay_?"

Billy blanched. "If you really want to see it…"

Trini shoved her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her on-coming laughter. "I'm kidding! How about _Bloody Zombie Massacre Part 2_?" Trini grinned.

"Oh, dear God, yes!" Billy moaned.

_Oh, dear _God_, I'm gonna hate this_, Trini's mind roared.

A few conversations later and they were in their seats with their sodas and candy.

"You see," Billy said a few moments after the lights had dimmed, "zombies scientifically could never really exist but for a movie like this, it's still quite fascinating. Even though, I've read some reports on how some people can act like zombies in a sense because-"

"Would you shut the fuck up?" a voice from the back shouted.

Billy slunk lower into his chair but only lowered his voice.

_He's so cute... should I kiss him? No, I should wait for that. He might think that I'm easy and I don't want to be slutty. _She watched Billy, his mouth was moving but no sounds pierced her ears or her thoughts. _But if I wait for it, it might never happen. It took him long enough to ask me out...and everyone else is getting mad at him for talking. If I kiss him he'll shut up and there won't be a problem._

"Oh, sorry," this shook Trini out of her thoughts, "you don't want to hear this nerdy stuff. I should probably stop talking."

_Oh…problem solved._ With a smile, she turned her attention to the movie screen. _Ah, fuck it!_ And in a flash, she had his mouth pressed against hers.

""""""""""'

"Oh, I _hate _you all! We keep losing to the Power Putas and I haven't had a good night's sleep in years!" Rita screeched.

"My queen, how about I make you a new monster?" Finster suggested.

"Why should I give you the chance? You keep failing me!" Rita seethed.

A shiver of fear ran up Finster's spine. "But my Queen-"

Rita sent him a death-glare and said, "If you fail me again, you'll know my wrath."

"Well, I have a new monster I've been working on – Thor Az – he should be more than a match for-" Finster felt a mass under his foot accompanied by a 'squish' – "er…never mind. I don't think that monster would be effective."

Rita sighed, rolled her eyes and screeched, "well, then come up with something by the time I wake up from my nap!"

""""""""""'

"Did you hear that?" Baboo squealed. "We finally have a chance to prove ourselves!"

"What do you mean?" his stubby sidekick said.

"All we need to do is create a monster more powerful than Finster's!" Baboo shrieked.

Squatt relented, "do you have any ideas?"

"Hmm…" Baboo tapped his chin, "well, the problem is the Power Rangers are too quick and too crafty and our monsters are too slow. Maybe we create a monster that can predict every move they make?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Like a monster that can _see _every move they make?" Squatt put his thinking face on.

"And make it telekinetic so they can't even go near it!" Baboo added.

"Oh! And-and-and-and maybe it's got eyes on it's back too!" Squatt chattered on like a five-year-old child.

"Oh, yeah! Maybe it's purely eyes – so that way the Rangers will always be seen!" Squatt's childishness was rubbing off on Finster.

"Making it easier for them to be destroyed!"

As chance would have it, Finster had overheard their conversation but merely rolled his eyes and said. "and how do you plan to make this monster?"

Baboo thought as fast as his tiny brain could go, "we'll use your Monstermatic of course!"

"You will _not!_" Finster said harshly, "my Monstermatic is a very delicate machine – _it is not a toy!_"

"But how else can we make a monster!" Squatt's jaw dropped and his eyes bulged out.

"There are ways," Baboo said after a pause, her mind racing to think of them.

"But how can you make a monster without a Monstermatic!" Squatt screeched. "It's impossible!"

"Please, keep your voice down!" Finster said hushed, his voice filled with fright. "You'll wake the Queen!"

Baboo face-palmed and then said, "Squatt please try to be quiet. Also, the Empress has a library full of books on summoning monsters. We'll check there."

Finster rubbed his head, "I think I'm getting on of the Queen's infamous headaches."

""""""""""'

"How about this one?" Squatt said.

"Why the _hell_ do we need a monster that has twelve penises?" Baboo said, clearly running out of patience.

"No…the other page," Squatt sighed.

"Oh! The _oculus Monasteriense_?" Baboo thought for a second. "This could work."

"Couldn't we just call him Eye Guy? I mean, he is covered in Eyes…"

"I have such a deep feeling of loathing for you right now," Baboo mumbled.

Squatt studied the book for a while, "this Summoning spell looks difficult."

"Nonsense. It's perfectly…difficult," Baboo said after looking the spell over. "We'll have to use the Queen's Magick circle, though."

"When?"

"_NOW!"_

""""""""""'  


Baboo took a breath and closed his eyes. He could feel the Magicks swirling around him, up into his nose and to his lungs and into his blood stream. He felt his mouth moving and the words spilling out were foreign and strange to his tongue.

A bright light burst in the room and arose from the middle of the Magick circle. The light flickered out and dust burst into the room leaving the air heavy and filled with soot. Both Baboo and Squatt choked and coughed on the air.

"What do you want?" a deep voice said.

Baboo could feel one of the many eyes of the monster focusing on him. He felt a shudder creepy up his spine and spread through the rest of his body. He opened his eyes to see a million-eyed monster standing before him.

Squatt's throat felt dry and his voice refused to work. Swallowing and opening his mouth, he forced a squeak out. Closing his eyes again and taking a deep breath, he finally found his voice.

"I want to not have just shit my pants," he said meekly.

"I want to know why you have summoned me," Eye-Guy boomed, his patience growing thin.

"We have summoned you to dispose of the Power Rangers," Baboo said in a tiny voice.

"And what's in it for me?" arrogance getting the better of Eye-Guy.

"We don't send you back to the Ether?" Baboo trembled.

"That doesn't bother me," Eye-Guy shrugged. He stretched then moaned. "I could actually use a decent fight. It's been _too _long. So, what are these Power Rangers?"

"They're these very annoying super-heroes in color-coordinated costumes!" Squatt said.

"Very trendy, too," Finster added as he walked into the room, followed by Goldar.

"What the hell is this thing? It looks like an X-Men reject!" the winged-monkey growled.

"We made him to defeat the Power Rangers!" Squatt chirped.

"We always have a problem with them sneaking up on our monsters, so…well, they can't sneak up on this guy since he sees everything!" Baboo said.

Goldar looked from the pudgy monster to the taller, winged monster and grunted, "You two are idiots. It'll never work."

"Don't be so judgmental, I do indeed have a lot of power. But, I am still not convinced as to why I should help you," Eye-Guy said self-righteously.

"Her Highness would be eternally grateful and _not_ destroy you on sight," Goldar said.

"If "her Highness" had enough power to destroy me, she wouldn't need ME at all!" Eye-Guy said pointedly.

"The Empress is powerful but she is not willing to do what you can. As a ruthless warrior, you have the ability to destroy these Power Rangers and join us in the attempt to conquer earth," Baboo said calmly.

A wave of shock went through Baboo's companions. Never had they heard such words from him - words that bordered on treason. If the Empress had been there, she would have surely skinned him with just a flick of her wand.

Eye-Guy stood unimpressed. "Unwilling or unable?" He silently dared Baboo to defy him.

"I'd say she's unwilling because she hasn't exactly faced the Rangers herself. She has continuously used other monsters but has failed to choose the right one. However, you will be better. I can tell." Baboo said, trying to mask the scent of fear, which was coming off of his body in waves.

After a silence, Eye-Guy finally said, "piss off! I have no need or want for a master!" He huffed. "! I will destroy these Rangers, but not as a service to you. I will show you my might and then you will follow me!"

"Err…but of course!" Baboo bowed to him and urgently signaled for Squatt to follow suit.

"Empress Rita will destroy you before you can even try!" Finster shouted, refusing to bow.

With a puff of smoke, Eye-Guy had teleported himself to Earth, in the midst of Angel Grove.

"You'll fail…ass," Goldar grunted.

Finster dropped the nail polish he was holding and, with a surprising bellow, shouted, "you treacherous leeches! I am waking the Queen at once!"

"No!" Squatt cried out then found himself a corner to cower in.

"Let's just see what Eye-Guy does, first, hmm?" Baboo reasoned.

""""""""""'

The Rangers had gathered in the Command Center on Zordon's request. All five Rangers were ready for battle but a feeling of unease and instinctive fear permeated the room. Suddenly, the Viewing Globe flicked on to show a monster made entirely of eyes attacking people in the streets of Angel Grove.

"Rangers, this is Eye-Guy, a being drawn from the Ether-"

"What's 'Ether' mean?" Kimberly butted in.

"It's a place that's pure. Where only the strongest energies can survive," Alpha explained. "Ohhh…I worry that you might not be enough to stop it."

"Have faith, Alpha," Zordon reassured, "the Rangers are a Force of Good and Good never succumbs to evil."

"So, how do we kill this thing?" Trini asked.

"That is something I do not know," Zordon said solemnly. "This is one battle you'll have to go into completely blind."

"Rangers, I believe in you," Alpha said, seeing the downcast looks on the teens faces. "Now, get ready, 'cause – It's Morphin' Time!"

""""""""""'

Several failed attempts at fighting Eye-Guy found the Rangers exhausted and in great pain. Jason pulled himself up off the ground and drew his Power Sword. With a loud cry, he used the last of his energy in a high-paced, running charge at Eye-Guy, only to be thrown back by an invisible force moments before he was to strike.

"It's no use! That thing sees everything!" Jason cried out in pain.

"Power Daggers!" Trini called and thrust her daggers at the monster. With a single glare, the mutant had Trini spiraling out of control and into her nearby teammates. "Argh…what do we do?"

"Retreat!" Kimberly called, having been thrown around much like a child's plaything.

"No! If we leave now, that thing will destroy the city!" Zack shouted, receiving a blow to the stomach.

"Jason, we need to form a plan! We can't just keep attacking him like this! He obviously knows our moves," Trini said.

"I say we get the Zords to smash him!" Zack said.

""""""""""'

"Finster, where is my monster?" Rita screeched, arising from her nap.

"Empress Rita!" Finster called from three rooms over, " you must know what Squatt and Baboo have done!"

"Quiet! Unless you have made me a monster, you are useless to me!" Rita seethed, entering the balcony room. "Now, what the hell is going on here?"

"Your Highness, Squatt and Baboo summoned a monster from the Ether and it is currently beating the Power Rangers," Goldar said bitterly.

"Those retards did _that? _Huh...maybe I underestimated them," Rita turned to Finster, "and maybe you're fired"

"I tried to stop them but maybe you can use this as an opportunity!" Finster groveled.

"Maybe you can suck my vajeen! You shouldn't have trouble finding it – it's underlined!" Rita shouted, entirely blind with rage.

"I'm so sorry, My Queen!" Finster pleaded, certain he would be blamed.

"If you want, Empress," Scorpina said, feeling the need to prove her worth, "I can finish this wretched mistake for you."

"You?" Goldar shouted in utter shock and disgust. "You can't even kill the Power Rangers!"

"Neither can you!" Scorpina shot back.

"I finished the last ones, what have you done?"

"I…" Scorpina had no answer.

"This isn't an argument on who can do better! This is about fixing the problem!" Finster rasped.

"Yeah, compare penis sizes later. Right now my monster is kicking the Power Rangers' Rainbow Asses!" Squatt cheered.

"What?" Rita sneered.

"I said: yeah, compare penis sizes later. Right now my monster is kicking the Power Rangers' Rainbow Asses!" Squatt repeated.

"I heard you the first time!" Rita shouted. "Now, explain!" She groaned when she saw them hesitate. "You're all hopeless!" she shouted as she focused her telescope on Downtown Angel Grove. She gasped, "you summoned the eye monster?"

""""""""""'

"Jason, hold steady!" Kimberly shouted as the Megazord was struck once again. "C'mon guys, keep it together!"

Eye-Guy dodged their next attack and sent an eye-full of lasers at them. Rocking the Zord even more.

"How could he know our every move?" Jason fretted.

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he's got eyes covering every inch of his motherfucking body, you stupid fag-FUCK!" Zack shouted as another volley of lasers struck the Megazord, this time on its left side.

"Shit!" Jason said, activating the Power Sword. "Get ready to swing on the count of three. One-"

"Three!" Zack shouted and slammed the sword hard into Eye-Guy's body, to the shock of everyone.

"Yes! We did it!" Jason shouted.

""""""""""'

"I don't' think so," Rita smirked as she began casting a spell to cause a torrent of rain to hit the Megazord.

""""""""""'

"Shit! Where'd the sun go?" Zack shouted, looking out the head of the Megazord.

"Power supplies dropping rapidly, we need to evacuate!" Billy's nervous crackled through his helmet.

"Not until we know it's dead!" Kimberly said, determined to see the fight through.

The storm clouds effectively blocked out the sun, causing the solar-powered Zord to shut down. Rain flooded down onto the Zord, into the nooks and cracks of the hull, causing malfunctions and for the Megazord to jerk erratically and the air around it to crackle with energy. Thunder clashed as Eye-Guy readied his final attack.

"What's it doing?" Trini said, her brow furrowed in confusion but still hidden by the yellow saber-toothed tiger-shaped helmet.

"I think it's-" Billy gasped.

"Oh, no," Kimberly bit her lip.

"You gotta be fucking with me!" Zack shouted.

"Abandon ship-err-Zord!" Jason said.

A loud crack went through the air as Eye-Guy sent one final burst of energy careening at the Megazord, which stood still in the dark, rainy city. The energy collided with the metallic Zord in a fantastic display of light and carnage as the Rangers plummeted to Earth, nearly fifty stories below them. Luckily, their suits prevented any damage from befalling them.

Jason sprang up from the ground, limping slightly, and searched the sky for any sign of Eye-Guy. "Where the fuck is here?" Jason cursed.

"You think he's dead?" Trini asked as their Wrist Communicators went off.

""""""""""'

"Rangers," Zordon looked at his exhausted team, "you fought a hard battle. I am proud of you."

"Do you think he's dead?" Kimberly asked in a small voice.

"I am confident he will return," Zordon responded.

"Zordon, we failed you," Jason sighed. "I'm-"

"Gay?" Zack cut in.

"Either way!" Zordon's voice cut through before a fight could follow, "you need to think of better strategies. I can only give you so much power." A brief silence followed before, "you are dismissed."

""""""""""'

"Guys, we should meet to discuss strategies," Jason said, sitting in the Juice Bar as rain pelted the city. "Tomorrow. After school." He sighed. "I'm fucking beat."

"I agree," Trini groaned, "we should rest."

"Some sleep should help us think straight," Billy said

"SHUT UP!" Kimberly, Jason, and Trini said in unison to Zack pre-emptively.

"Well, then fuck this shit," Zack groaned, "I'll see you assholes tomorrow."

Zack slunk out of the Juice Bar with four sets of eyes watching him. Billy, with a grunt, lifted himself from his seat. "I'm out too," he stretched. "Good God, my body hurts." Trini waved goodbye to Billy before watching him trudge out of the building.

"Jason, can I come over? I really don't want to be home with mom," Kimberly pouted.

"Kim, you can come to my house...we can...girl talk? Do each other's make up...talk about...oh, what do white girls talk about? Oh! Buffy!" Trini grinned and nodded, hoping she would say yes. "We can talk about Buffy!"

"I…" Kimberly sighed, "okay, what the hell."

""""""""""'

"Don't you step a foot through my door," Jason heard a low, possibly extremely drunk voice say at him.

'Dad?" he whispered into the darkness of the house.

"You are not my son anymore." He could smell liquor on his father's breath.

"Dad…what are you talking about?" Jason's voice quivered.

"Mark saw you yesterday, kissing that _faggot_ down on Massachusetts Ave!" Greg spit. "Get out of my house and never return."

"Dad-'

"I said out!"

"But-"

"I will not have some _faggot_ living under my roof! What king of impact would that have on your brother, Justin? He could grow up to be a fucking faggot just like you!"

"But, but... dad, I can't help it! And its not like being gay is a disease! I can't just pass it on to someone!" Jason pleaded, his eyes watering.

"If I have to say leave _one more time_, I'm calling the cops," Greg said.

Defeated, Jason left the only home he'd ever known.

""""""""""'

The storm raged on, seemingly getting worse as it went along. Harsh winds picked up and cut at Jason's skin. His clothes were drenched and his hair clung to his head. Stifling a shiver, Jason pressed on, unsure of where he was going.

"Hey, baby, how about you show me a good time?" a passer-by said.

Jason bit his lip and kept walking down the sidewalk, against the wind. A black car drove by so fast, its tires pierced a puddle carelessly, sending the water flying onto Jason. Not that he noticed, being already soaked to the core.

Finally, Jason found what he had been aimlessly searching for. A phone booth sectioned at the corner of the street. His hand fumbled in his pocket, pulling out three quarters he slid them into the slot and dialed.

Jason listened to the phone ring a few times before someone finally said, "hello?"

"Rocky?" Jason's voice cracked, "I need your help."

"Tell me where you are and I'll come and get you," Rocky replied.

"Okay," Jason gave him the information, hung up, and waited. 

_A/N: the chapter was title from the Peter Frampton song._

_A/N the second: sorry it took so long to update, the damn site wouldn't let me into my "My Stories" section. Said there was an error. _


	13. Arc 1 Ascension: 13 Doomsday Part 1

Metamorphosis  
Arc 1: Ascension  
Chapter 13:  
"Doomsday Part 1"

Jason walked into school, his hair matted to his head. Water dripped off his body into a puddle on the floor. He took an uneasy breath and moved forward into the hall. He shook off his sorrow as Kimberly approached him at his locker.

"Hey, Jason," Kimberly smiled widely, "what's new?"

"Uh…stuff," Jason said, feeling guilty for not telling about the showdown with his father and that he was now living with Rocky and his family.

"What kind of stuff?" Kimberly's all-too-bright smile was getting to him now.

"Nothing! Jeez!" Jason exclaimed and walked away.

"Hey, Kim," Zack waved as he walked past.

"Hey!" Kimberly shouted and ran past him and straight to Tommy.

_Oh, I really hate your ass right now,_ Zack mentally groaned and walked to his class.

Kimberly shrugged away from Tommy and found Jason again, leaning over the water cooler.

"So, what's the news?" she asked as she leaned against the wall.

"N-nothing," Jason stammered.

"Jason, I know when something's wrong with you. Now spit it out!" Kimberly stomped her foot for emphasis.

"Well, to make a long story short, I got kicked out of my parents' house and now I'm living with Rocky," he spit out, his eyes wide like an owl's.

Kimberly looked puzzled, worried and confused all in one facial expression. Taking a breath she smirked and made a hole with her left hand fingers and slid her right index finger back and forth through it. She lifted her eyebrow and grinned in a questioning manner.

"Oh, for fucks sake, you over-sexed whore! I am not sleeping with Rocky!" Jason fumed.

"But you want to," the little vixen smirked.

"Well, I don't know... I haven't really thought about it. Oh, look! Class is starting. We better get to it!" Jason was frantically searching for a way out of this conversation.

Jason and Kimberly took their adjacent seats in Physiology and took out their notebooks in a synchronized manner.

"Today we will be...dissecting frogs," the teacher said as she handed out frogs.

Jason and Kimberly exchanged looks of repulsion. Kimberly clamped her hand over her mouth when the teacher set her and Jason's frogs in front of them. "Oh, shit," she muttered.

"This'll be fun!" Bulk called from the back row, playing with his frog as if it were a puppet.

"Uh...Ms. Mann...I...I have a thing about animal cruelty," Kimberly bit her lip.

"Oh, don't worry dear, they're already dead," the teacher responded.

"But, I don't want to dissect animals," Kimberly looked sullen.

"Technically," Billy chimed in from the seat directly behind Kimberly, "it's an amphibian. You see-"

"Shut up, nerd!" Bulk said as he threw the frog's heart at Billy's head.

"Yeah, shut up, nerd!" Skull mimed and laughed.

"Ew, gross," Jason muttered. "my religious beliefs forbid me from doing this!" _Please work, please work, please work._

"Er…mine too!" Kimberly added.

"Ms. Mann! My religious beliefs-"

"Forbid you to do this. Blah, blah, blah. Suck it up queermo," the teacher chided.

""""""""""'

Zack sat alone in the lunchroom, in the far back away from the sights of his fellow Rangers. He sighed and looked down at his lunch. _Nothing ever goes my way. Kimberly likes that douchey Tommy, my mother is struggling just to feed my sister and keep me out of trouble. And my friends…don't really act like friends._ A loud thump next to him drew him from his thoughts. Zack looked up from his food to see TJ sitting across from him.

"Sup nigga?" TJ said.

In years prior Zack and TJ were best friends, but lately, since TJ became the school's leading jock, they've grown very distant. "Whatcha want?" Zack asked.

"Why aren't you sitting with that group of losers you always hang out with now?" TJ smirked wickedly.

"They're not losers. Back. The fuck. Off." Zack emphasized each word with a grunt.

"Still got your V-Card, loser?" TJ had a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"No…" Zack breathed harder.

"You're lying. Wanna know how i know you're lying? 'Cause you ain't no playa, nigga. You wanna tap that sweet ass, over there." TJ pointed to Kimberly. "But she be wantin' the Indian. Your loss man."

Zack sighed, "...it ain't like that, bro. I dunn care if that white girl with that Indian."

"Bitch, you lyin'! It's killin' you inside. Heh heh. I should know." He leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. "Remember that Ashley, bitch?"

"Well, yeah, she tried killing herself," Zack replied.

"I fucked her that night," TJ said coolly.

A wave of shock and utter disgust hit Zack in an intense splash. He clenched his fists and bit his lower lip as frustration and anger built up inside his chest. Taking a few deep breaths, he replied, "yeah right. You wish."

"Weird thing was, she kept saying 'daddy no, please stop, daddy.' But she came onto me!" TJ said, his eyes bugging out.

"...There's no way that girl would have wanted you. She's made it clear that she wants Jason," Zack said in a harsh whisper.

"Believe what you will, but I took her V-card," TJ said casually.

"Then, you're the reason why she went crazy. She was fine before...I-I mean, she was weird but...you took advantage of her," his anger exploding.

"Hey!" TJ's voice rose above the clatter in the cafeteria, "it's not MY fault that the bitch is unstable!" He shoved the table away from them. "It's the parents! If they would have kept an eye on her-"

In a blur of color Zack had TJ pinned to the floor. "You fucking piece of shit! First you insult my friends and then you tell me _this_? You should be the one who's fucked up!" he shouted angrily, raising his fist.

"That's enough!" Principal Kaplan shouted, grabbing Zack's fist and pulling him of TJ. "Both of you report to my office, immediately!"

""""""""""'

Kimberly and Jason exchanged a glance. In the silence between them a million words were spoken with just their eyes. A nod and a wink and they were off.

"What do you think the fight was about?" Kimberly whispered.

They were now crouched outside the Principal's office. The door was slightly ajar, enough for the voices inside to be audibly clear.

"No idea," Jason hushed her, "just listen."

"Tell me what got into you two," Principal Kaplan said, looking at the two boys sitting in front of his desk.

"TJ raped Ashley!" Zack's outburst shocked the two eavesdroppers.

"What the hell?" Jason muttered.

"Shh!" Kimberly scolded.

Kaplan looked amused and worried. "And who's Ashley?"

"Ashley Hammond. The girl that tried killing herself on Halloween!" Zack said, gesturing frantically.

"Hammond...Hammond...Hammond," Kaplan muttered under his breath, looking threw the school's computer files. "I don't seem to have any record of a "Ashley Hammond" in here. Are you sure you have the right name?"

"What?" Zack shouted.

"What!" Kimberly and Jason mouthed at each other.

"Did he just say-"

"-that Ashley never went here?" Jason concluded. He scratched his head and looked at Kimberly. "Should we ask him what's-"

"No, he already thinks Zack's crazy, it won't help if he thinks we're crazy too," Kimberly whispered.

"Then what should we do?" Jason sighed.

"We need to go visit Ashley!" Kimberly suggested.

"I have no idea what this brotha be smoking, sir. He just attacked me!" TJ said as politely as a he could. "And saying I raped someone? I would never!" he said, sounding perfectly mortified.

"Theodore Jay Jarvis Johnson, you may go, Zack Taylor and I need to have a private talk," Mr. Kaplan eyed Zack harshly.

TJ sneered at Jason and Kimberly as he walked out. In a look, Kimberly and Jason took off.

"Zack…we're be need to do a long talk, see?" Kaplan said, crossing his arms and reclining into his chair.

Zack glared at him. "I find that offensive."

"Zachary Taylor, you have been failing every class. The last thing you need is to have this on your record. But, why should I care if you start fights and make false accusations on other students about serious crimes?" Kaplan focused his eyes on Zack, a condescending glare fixed firmly on his face.

"Look, I'm telling you, he raped Ashley! She went to school here!" Zack pleaded desperately. He looked around the office, desperately trying to think of a way out of this situation. He slunk slowly in his chair and stared at his shoes, feeling rather defeated. "I-I-I'm sorry. I've been trying, really. I think I'm just stressed out."

"Then talk to a counselor. Seriously, Zack, I don't know if I can keep you in my school for any longer. I might just have to send you to a continuation school," Kaplan sighed.

"No!" Zack shouted, shock filling his being. "That would crush my mom! Listen, Mr. K, I've been doing my homework, all of it, but I never get any of the answers right...maybe some tutoring would help?"

"Maybe some proper parenting would help?...and don't call me Mr. K."

"No, sir, my mother isn't bad its just I have a hard time understanding the material." Zack felt horrible, hearing his mother being belittled but not being able to do anything about it. Not properly, at least.

"Fine, go to tutoring. Improve your grade by the end of this semester and I will consider keeping you in my school. But, you will have to attend summer school to make up for the classes you failed in the past."

"Yes, sir," Zack said.

""""""""""'

"How are we gonna get there?" Kimberly asked, walking next to Jason down the halls of Angel Grove. "We have no transport."

"We'll use Rocky's car," Jason said, "let's go find him."

"What? Now?" Kimberly exclaimed. "But we still have three classes left."

"What's more important?" Jason sighed. "Listen, Trini and Billy share the same classes, we'll get whatever work we missed from them."

Kimberly sighed, "alright. We do need to do this." She brushed the hair out of her eyes. "So, where do we find Rocky?"

"It's still lunch, so he's probably out at his car…which is what we'll be taking," Jason mused.

A few moments later found the two at Rocky's car. The black Dodge glistened in the sun. Its newly washed frame just screamed "shit on me" at any and all passing birds.

"Rocky, baby," Jason said sweetly, acting as demure as he could, "we need to borrow your car."

"Why do you need my car?" Rocky blinked.

"We need to check on Ashley," Kimberly mentally groaned.

"Uh…who?" Rocky scratched his head.

"The girl that attacked you on Halloween night?" Kimberly tried.

Rocky's eyes widened as a memory flashed before his eyes. _Oh, God, oh, God, oh God….she's bleeding. There's blood everywhere! _"Why the _hell_ would you need to do that?"

Jason mentally face-palmed but pouted outwardly. "Babe...just give us your car keys...please?"

"Fine," Rocky held the keys out in front of him, expecting Jason to take them.

"Thanks, Rocks!" Kimberly grabbed the keys and jumped behind the wheel. "Jase, let's go!"

Rocky looked mortified, his eyes were as big as saucers. "What the hell is she doing?"

Jason shrugged. "Driving?" He sighed. "I'll see you at home, okay?"

""""""""""'

The Asylum was tall and foreboding. It stood against a backdrop of black clouds, which threatened to snow. The chill in the air nipped at the noses of the two teens until they entered the building and approached the front desk.

"Hello, welcome to Arkham," the ample-breasted nurse who sat behind the counter greeted, never looking up from the book that laid on the counter. She had a round face and stringy black hair. Her nose was greasy and her eyes were black. She seemed to be void of something that couldn't be named.

"Excuse me, Nurse-" Kimberly peered through the, what she thought must've been, bulletproof glass to read the name tag, "Lehane, but we're looking for a patient who was transferred here a month ago."

"Name?" the nurse never looked up from her book.

"Ashley Hammond," Jason replied.

The sound of clicking keys filled the room as the nurse searched the computer files. A grunt, a click of the mouse and a flashing screen were followed by a-

"There's no one here by that name."

"What do you mean? I saw her here two weeks ago!" Jason burst out, his face paling.

"I'm sorry but she's not in our records," the nurse closed her book and looked up. "Are you feeling all right? You look a bit...pallid," the nurse looked falsely concerned.

"...I... I can't believe it.," utterly disbelief made every fiber of his being its home. His hands began shaking and his mouth dried up faster than the desert.

"All right, thank you," Kimberly said, noticing Jason's discomfort.

As they were walking back to the car, Jason suddenly stopped and looked Kimberly in the eye. His skin had been gradually becoming more and more pale and his eyes were looking bloodshot. "We need to tell the others," he choked out.

""""""""""'

The sky was cold and gray and a few snowflakes had begun to fall. Trini's breath hung in the air as she walked down the street with Billy at her side. She smiled a little and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"So, want to go out again?" Billy was unusually chipper.

"I'll need to make up another excuse for my parents," Trini said uneasily.

"Tell then you're tutoring Zack," he said with a goofy grin.

"Yeah," she sighed, looking away and getting lost in her thoughts. "He does need help with the not failing of every class aspect of…this year."

"All right, then!" Billy grinned widely.

As they turned to leave, a mid-ranged voice shouted out "hey, you guys!" With a sigh of discontent, Trini turned around to find Zack running their way. A quick side-step on her part and a collision with her night-colored friend was avoided.

"What the hell?" Trini said, looking fearfully at Zack.

"I have something to tell you," Zack huffed, hunched over, hands on his knees, breathing heavily.

"You're gay, too?" Billy mouthed off.

"Shut up," Zack huffed, "and let me catch my breath." A few moments later Zack stood up and cleared his throat, taking one last deep breath before speaking. "I was talking to TJ and he said that he fucked Ashley on Halloween night!"

"How? Ashley doesn't like TJ, she likes Jason!" Trini exclaimed.

"Exactly! I think he raped her! And it gets weirder! I told Kaplan about this, and he said there was never a student named Ashley Hammond in our school!"

"Then why was she in classes with us?" Billy was confounded.

"She's gone!" Kimberly shouted, having run down the street with Jason in tow. "She's gone and there's no record of her being at Arkham!" She heaved violently, desperately trying to catch her breath. "And this assbag here doesn't have a car! We had to return Rocky's because he needed to get to work."

"Why did you have-never mind, not important," Billy brushed it off.

"Hello! I just said that Ashley's gone!" Zack shouted, waving his hands wildly to emphasis his point.

"Yeah...she's not in the mental ward!" Jason added, puffing alongside Kimberly.

"You mean she escaped?" Trini furrowed her brow.

"No! They have _no_ record of her being there!" Kimberly shouted, still struggling to catch her breath.

"Like at school!" Zack added.

"Woah," Trini gasped, "this is too surreal."

"Well," Billy said, after a few moments of silence had passed so that all the information could be processed by the five, "...she's gone... and assuming that we're not all suffering from shared delusions, where would she go?"

"I know I'd want to go home," Trini wrapped her arms around herself, as if she were channeling Ashley's pain.

"Let's try going to her house then!" Jason suggested.

"How?" Billy shouted, his voice filled with fear and uneasiness, "if there's no record of her existing, how would we find her house?"

Realization filled Kimberly's eyes. She gasped and blinked away tears as the feeling of being stabbed in the heart subsided. A memory had unlocked, and felt as if it were foreign and distant and yet familiar and comforting. She drew her arms around her body and took in an uneasy breath. "She used to live next door to me." She blinked her eyes, trying to fight the tears that threatened to fall. "When we were kids." She wiped away tears and looked around at the sky, trying desperately not to look at them. "Oh, God, I don't know why I didn't remember until now." She choked on her words. "It's as if something's missing…some part of me is gone."

"Kim?" Jason said softly.

"We'll take the bus there," she checked her watch, "if we leave now, we'll make it with time to spare."

"Kim?" Jason said again.

"Let's go!" Kimberly commanded, not paying Jason any attention.

"What are we?" Zack huffed. "The fucking Scoobies?"

""""""""""'

The house stood nestled at the corner of the street. What was once probably a beautiful brick house with a vibrantly white picket fence now stood decaying and covered in vines. A few of the windows had been shattered, presumably by the neighborhood children throwing rocks.

Kimberly carefully approached the front door, now rotten and covered in moss. She flinched a bit and gagged as the roaches that covered it scurried away. She knocked hard on the door three times. "Maybe we-" her sentence was cut short as a heavy thud filled the air. She gasped in surprise and then chuckled at herself. "Guess we can go in," she said stepping over the now capsized door.

"Oh, that's reassuring," Trini said glumly as she stepped through the archway, "if I die here, I blame you. All of you."

The interior faired no better, what little furniture there was now stood moth-eaten and covered in dust and other debris. The air was damp and musty and felt heavy in their lungs. Cobwebs hung in every corner of the room.

Jason suppressed a shudder. A fireplace stood in the back of the room, clearly filled with ash. "This was used recently," Jason mused. He stood up and his eyes caught a picture resting on the mantle. His fingers traced along the edges of the frame, the picture was of no importance. An old man with a fishing rod sitting on a boat. No one he could name.

"Guys, this place looks like it could go at any minute. Let's find what we need and get out of here," Billy said.

"Okay, spread out," Jason commanded. "But walk lightly! The flooring doesn't seem to solid."

A few moments later and a call came from upstairs, gathering the Rangers to a bedroom that Zack had found. "This is creepy," Kimberly said, drawing her arms around her like a frightened child.

A bed was in the middle of the room, cleaner than anything else the five had seen. Around it, piles of dirt, dust, and ash. Clothes were strewn out along the floor and-

"Oh, my God!" Trini was holding up a yellow blouse, "this was hers! Is hers! Was-is-I don't know but it's Ashley's! Or was! Damn it!" she tripped over her own words.

Jason swallowed hard. His mouth went dry and his eyes went wide. "This is proof!" he said hoarsely. "This is proof that she existed!"

"No," Kimberly corrected, "this is proof that someone crashed her not that she-"

"And what about this?" Zack held a book up in his left hand for everyone to see. "Property of Ashley Hammond," he read the first page. "Is this proof enough?"

"Awesome!" Trini said happily, "we're not insane."

Kimberly smiled, it was good to know they weren't crazy. She looked around at the room and that smile faded. "It's all...rubble...the bed is all made and clean but the house is in shambles," she fought back tears.

Trini walked over to a shelf located in the back of the room. There were three wide shelves and a sliding door on the bottom. The top shelf held deodorants, perfumes and make-up. The second held a wrapper from a Hershey's bar and a box of tampons. The third, lowest, shelf was a row of antique ornate dolls. She sighed and backed away from the shelf. "It's a bit reassuring to know we're not insane...but...where's Ashley? Why can't anyone remember her?"

"Maybe we should ask Zordon?" Zack suggested, the book still firmly clutched in his hand.

Jason felt something beneath his shoe. "No, not yet. We should try to work this on our own." Kneeling on the ground, he cleared away the dirt on what appeared to be a picture frame. Hearts with cupid arrows threw them cluttered a picture of-"Is this me?" Jason exclaimed.

Kimberly examined the picture then turned her head away quickly. "That's creepy."

"You think that's bad?" Billy asked. He held up a picture of Rocky. The eyes were scribbled out, devils horns were painted on and the words 'whore', 'slut', 'I hate everything about you', and 'ruined' were written all over it. "It's, like, …demonic."

"Anybody else prepared to leave?" Trini said moments before her foot landed on a bad patch of wood that would send her falling to her knees.

"Trini!" Billy cried, rushing over to help her.

"Stop!" Trini shouted, "the flooring is bad. You'll only get hurt." She ground her teeth and pulled her leg through the floor. She bit her lip at feeling of the sharp shards of wood tearing at her flesh. She wiped the blood from her leg and sat up. "Can we leave now? This house is gonna collapse!"

""""""""""'

The five teenagers sat silently in the cold for what seemed like years, but was more likely a few minutes. The bitter December air nipped at whatever exposed flesh it could find. It was snowing hard now, making it difficult to see too far ahead of them, not that they currently needed to see. All five stared down at their shoes, as if there were tiny little elves dancing around them, entertaining them.

"I can't believe it," Trini broke the silence, "this book is evidence that we're not crazy but there's no proof of her existing otherwise." No one replied and the silence continued.

Snowflakes made the Rangers their new homes, collecting on their heads, eyelashes and cheeks before softly melting away. Billy wiped the flakes off his glasses and promptly opened the book. "Hey guys, there's an address in here!"

"Where's it to?" Jason asked, not looking up, still staring at the imaginary elves.

"It's to a foster home, a few streets over," Billy's breath hung in the air and then dissipated.

"So, what do we do now?" Trini asked.

"We could go to the address, but it is getting a bit late," Billy said, almost in a whisper.

"Don't be a pussy!" Kimberly said with what would have been venom, except she couldn't muster it. "It's still light out and will be for the next…hour. Shit!"

"It doesn't matter," Jason sighed, watching his breath cling to the chilly air, "school's out for Christmas Vacation, tomorrow's Christmas Eve and we don't _have _to be home early tonight…right?"

"Right, we're going," Zack stood up and brushed the snow off him.

"We are?" Trini said, her voice lacking any emotion.

"We are," Jason confirmed. "What do you think we'll find there?"

"Probably a sign that this white bitch exists," Zack said carelessly.

"Hopefully. You think we'll ever find Ashley?" Kimberly pulled her scarf tight around her neck.

"Even though I really don't want to," Jason said morosely, "I can't help but be worried for her."

"Especially knowing what that dickhead did to her," Zack added.

""""""""""'

They stood outside a tall, stone building which was surrounded by a not-as-tall, metal fence with barbed wire on the top. The gate was left open and a lamp was lit near the main entrance. This building looked alarmingly like an extremely lax-prison that let their prisoners wander to-and-fro at all times.

"This place...looks...like shit," Jason mused.

Trini glared at him disapprovingly as they approached the front door. A loud creak, a slam and they were inside. They were blasted with a refreshing heat, causing them to disrobe their coats and scarves and other winter gear.

They were in a small room, no bigger than a moderate-sized bedroom. There were two doors to the side of them and a lady sitting behind a counter, a sheet of glass separating her from the outside world. She stared down at a book, which must have been fascinating because she paid no heed to the five teenagers standing in her presence.

Trini sighed and moved forward, gathering a bit of courage in her chest. "Good evening, miss. Can you tell me if there has ever been a person here by the name of Ashley Hammond?"

"That information is classified," the woman behind the counter said in monotone.

"Is there nothing I could persuade your mind with?" Trini smiled sweetly.

"A snickers bar and a dildo," the woman never looked up from her book. "Get the hell out of here!" she suddenly screeched.

"But, we need to find her!" Trini pouted.

"Please, it's important. We think she's been kidnapped!" Billy protested.

"If she's been kidnapped, that's a matter for the police, not me," the woman apparently had gum too, because now she began chewing it loudly.

"Okay, well, we just don't know where she is and we found this address in her journal. We thought it would help with finding out where she is. But, if you're not going to help us, then, that's on your hands for not wanting to help us find a missing person," Billy tried to pummel her with guilt.

"Okay then, bye-bye," the lady said, taking out a nail file. Billy's attempts at guilt fell deaf on the guilt-less.

Trini huffed stormed out angrily, slamming the door behind her, which still did not shake the receptionist from her book. Jason looked from the door to the woman behind the counter and followed suit, as did the rest of his crew. Kimberly screamed loudly as they were leaving. A scream of pure pain and defeat followed by, "what a-"

"Cunt!" Trini yelled. "That bloody, annoying, PMSing cunty bitch!"

"Feel better guys?" Jason smirked.

"No," Kimberly said gruffly, her hair a tangle of mess around her face.

"A little," Trini replied and gave a small smile.

"Now what?" Billy asked.

"We'll go to the police?" Trini suggested.

"Who will probably throw us into jail for reporting someone who apparently has never existed as missing?" Zack said in a sleek tone. "Yeah. I think not."

"This was useless," Kimberly sighed, "what the hell are we gonna do?"

"Orgy?" Zack grinned.

"Shut up, Zack," Trini said, thoroughly exhausted.

Darkness began to take over, but the streetlights didn't come on yet. Trini shuddered and drew her arms close to her body.

"Guys," Kimberly's voice trembled, "should it be getting dark yet? I mean…I know its winter and all, but I thought we would at least have half an hour more."

"Curious," Billy laughed, "no Solar Eclipse was reported to happen today."

"Rangers!" a voice belted off their wrists. "Come to the Command Center immediately. Rita is-" the voice cut out and allowed static to replace it.

Jason looked at his teammates. With a nod he said, "let's go!"

""""""""""'

"Ay yi yi! Rangers, we've lost our cosmic connection to Zordon!" Alpha said frantically to the five young adults standing before its presence.

"Oh, no!" Jason admonished.

"There could be a better way to get the signal. Maybe if we used a new communication system," Billy rushed over to the control panels and began tweaking the knobs.

"Don't touch that!" Alpha scolded and slapped his hands away. "The signal will return as soon as the solar eclipse subsides."

Kimberly shrieked as the lights went off for a moment.

"Alpha, you said something about Rita before your transmission cut out," Jason said.

"I-" the lights flickered ominously. "Oh, no! I'm afraid that with the solar eclipse, our power is going do-" the robotic being ceased to function as the lights finally went out.

"Fuck!" Kimberly shouted.

"What do we do?" Trini squealed.

"I don't know!" Jason said.

With a final burst of energy, the Viewing Globe lit up. Images of Eye-Guy in normal form attacking the city flooded the Rangers eyes. It flickered out and the Command Center was in darkness again.

"Guys," Zack's hushed tone startled them all.

"We know," Kimberly said, eyes full of understanding.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Billy cried out.

""""""""""'

"Do you think we got a chance this time?" Kimberly said as she shot an arrow at the many-eyed monster.

"Probably not," Jason said sarcastically, but this sarcasm became foreboding as the arrow collided with his chest.

"Fuck!" Kimberly shouted. One of Trini's Power Daggers collided with her helmet, causing sparks to fly and Kimberly to fall over, devoid of energy.

"Kimberly!" Trini shouted. A rage filled her being and she focused all her energy into the Power Dagger, causing it to glow a golden yellow hue. She made a mad-dash for Eye-Guy and threw the dagger. Trini watched wide-eyed as it flew back in her direction. The dagger made contact, sapping Trini of her energy, knocking her to the ground and leaving her convulsing in pain.

"Power Lance!" Billy shouted and attacked as Zack attacked with his Power Axe. Both men raised their weapons to attack, channeling their essence into their weapons. As their weapons shined black and blue respectively, Eye Guy jumped back, causing the two Rangers to strike each other. With a cry of pain, Zack fell to the ground, unable to move. Billy fell to his side, breathless and shaking in pain.

"Power Sword!" Jason shouted but never had the chance to move as each of the Rangers Power Weapons struck him consecutively. Jason fell to the ground, exhausted and de-Morphed.

If Eye-Guy could've, he would've smirked. Instead, he huffed and said, "next time, we're done playing."

In a flash of smoke, the monster was gone.


	14. Arc 1 Ascension: 14 Doomsday Part 2

Metamorphosis  
Arc 1: Ascension  
Chapter 14:  
"Doomsday, Part 2"

"Hello and welcome to the mid-morning news. The date is December 31st, the top story is still the solar eclipse that has lasted over a week. As plants die out around the world, the sea-tides ebb strangely and children take in less vitamin D, scientists are still wondering _why_ the sun is blocked out."

Billy turned the TV off and returned his attention to Ashley's diary. He squinted at the pages, as if trying desperately to find some hidden writing between the lines, maybe a 'help' or 'I'm over here'. He scratched his head and sighed, trying to make sense out of the writings and hoping to find a clear clue as to her whereabouts. He rubbed his eyes and flipped the page, looking at more doodles of hearts and 'Jason' written over and over again.

"Nothing yet?" Trini sat on Billy's bed and stared out the window. The pitch-blackness of the past few mornings had made her edgy and restless. "I feel like we've failed everyone." Her voice was glum and full of hopelessness.

"Listen to this, it's dated October 20. 'She came to me again today, the woman beyond the stars...she said.' The rest is illegible," Billy said with his face still buried in the book.

"Hmm…well, I guess that proves she's crazy," Trini shrugged.

"I guess so…October 22: my star mistress returned today, told me she's going to take me away. 'Take me away'? What in the hell - does she mean Rita?" Billy's brow furrowed.

Trini pried the book from his hands and flipped the page. "October 24: I wanted to caress him and hold him but he rejects me. I just want to know what it's like to be held and...not alone. October 25: my star mistress says she wants me... maybe I won't be alone anymore..." Trini blinked. "This is creepy."

Billy took the book back and examined the next page. "October 26..." He blinked, cleaned his glasses on his shirt and looked at the page again. "There's no entry here, just a date. That's weird...the rest of the book is blank." He placed the book on the bed and walked to the window, peering out into the abyss.

Trini flipped through the pages and shuddered involuntarily when she stumbled upon the last page. "There's something for October 30," her breath hitched, "but she scratched it out."

Billy took the book back and stared intently at the mess of ink on the page. "Daddy...mistress...traitor…this looks underlined. Something about stars?" _She keeps going back to stars. 'Star mistress', 'woman beyond the stars', who is she talking about? It's most likely Rita, but what would she want from Ashley?_

A loud crash shook Billy from his thoughts. "What in the world?" Trini muttered and looked out the window, however, the encompassing blackness made it impossible to see. "Should we panic?"

"Probably not," Billy said, extracting his Power Morpher from his nightstand for good measure.

"Where is everyone? It's too...quiet," Trini wrapped her arms around her as she approached the window again. She tilted her head and squinted about before spinning 180 degrees around in place. "Billy...is downtown Angel Grove NORMALLY all glowy and shit?"

Billy strode to the window quickly and peered outside. "No, that's not normal," he said confidently. "I'm sure it has something to do with the solar eclipse."

"We should probably get our asses down there," Trini said as a cold look crossed her face.

"Right," Billy agreed. "This could be bad."

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"We need a plan," Kimberly said. She was lying on her bed, her head hung off the edge and her auburn hair barely touched the floor. She breathed heavily and closed her eyes, trying to think up something, anything they could do to get out of their current predicament.

"What are we going to do?" Jason said. He was leaning against her bed, his head resting on the mattress while the rest of his body, while being next to hers, was seated on the floor.

"It's been a week, Jase, and we have no idea how to...you know...stop this," Kimberly gestured awkwardly.

"Mmm," Jason agreed. "We have no contact with Zordon, Alpha is non-operational and, oh, to make matters that much better, the Zords are low on energy. I'd say we're fucked!"

"Oh, but come on! Zordon must have chosen us for a reason!" Kimberly protested.

"Kim, we have no way to stop this unless you want to walk out there and get killed," he said forlornly.

"But, Jason, we need to do _something,_" Kimberly once again pushed the subject.

A bright light suddenly filled the bedroom in the Hart's downtown apartment. Kimberly fell off her bed in an attempt to shield her eyes from the invasive light. Jason quickly shut the blinds, blocking out a better portion of it.

"What the hell? Did the sun come back?" Kimberly felt confused at this turn of events. For the past seven days it had been perpetually dark, now light flooded her bedroom.

"No, it's much to bright to be the sun," Jason groaned as his eyes adjusted to the light.

'What's going on?" Kimberly's breath deepened.

"Uhm…the apocalypse?" Jason shrugged. "Whatever it is, we should probably investigate."

"I thought you said we should just stay put?" Kimberly groaned.

"Did I say to stay put? I don't remember that."

"You said it yesterday, but you're right, let's go."

"Should we call the others?" Kimberly asked.

"How? The phone lines are down and the solar eclipse has somehow messed with our communicators," Jason said point-blank.

"Oh. Right," Kimberly said despondently, "let's go."

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Zack shifted his body on the sofa, trying, in vain, to find a comfortable position to sleep on. The constant darkness had messed up his sleeping schedule, but he tried not to let that bother him. He sighed in the darkness that covered his house. Wondering what time it was, he pealed himself off the sofa and walked into the kitchen.

_That fucking clock never wants to fucking work_, Zack sighed. He opened the fridge and an eye-burning light flooded the room. _Ah, fuck!_ He scrambled to shut the blinds and finally found relief in the re-blackened room.

_This definitely isn't the usual morning routine, _he sighed and heard random, frantic footsteps upstairs. _Courtney must've had her shades open_. He laughed heartily until a loud crash filled the house. _What the fuck is that bitch doing?_

Zack trudged through the house, shielding his eyes with his hands whenever he passed an open window. His hand flowed along the wall as he walked, steadying his uneasy steps towards his sister's room. As he approached the door he could hear heavy breathing and shuffling and something smashing on, presumably, the floor.

"Yo, Courtney," Zack called, "you all right?"

No answer came.

"Courtney?" Zack called again, his hand resting against the wooden door that led to her bedroom.

Slowly, he pushed the door open and his eyes were assaulted by a barrage of pink _everything_. The pillows on her bed, the blanket and sheets themselves were pink. This was your average 11-year-old girl's bedroom. Except for…

"Courtney?" Zack was in a state of disbelief. Such things weren't possible. _A trick of the light, it must be! The sun's been gone too long! It's messy with me! _Zack rationalized as much as he could but still was unable to deny what stood in front of him.

_My sister is…a zombie?_

A ferocious roar was ripped from her lips. Her hair, normally jet-blacked and strained, was a blur of grease, saliva and color as she charged toward her brother. Her lips appeared chapped, as if there was very little fluid in her body. Her eyes, which were normally hazel, were a pale, milky blue. Her skin held a sallow pallor to it.

"Fuck!" Zack screamed as his sister knocked him to his back. "Courtney, stop!"

Courtney clawed at her brother's arm and snapped her teeth at him. After a few moments of struggling, Zack finally found the strength to push his sister off his body and quickly scrambled to his feet.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Zack shouted. "Mastodon!"

In a flash, Zack had run out the bedroom, down the hall, and out front door. He stopped, frozen in shock. Looking around at the street, people were crawling around, fires had started and cars had been over-turned. His mind flashed to the strange bright light, which was still emanating from downtown Angel Grove.

"Christ," he said, breathy.

Something in the back of his mind told him that he should go investigate. He crept down the street, ducking behind whatever wreckage there was and keeping low in the shadows. Finally, he came to the park where the light was getting stronger and staying hidden was becoming a much harder task.

A sudden explosion to the right caught his attention. A burst of flame made the surrounding area even brighter, giving the illusion of daylight…almost. Quietly, he sneaked into the park and watched a group of staggering people crowd around the blazing inferno that was once a car and gawk in amazement.

His attention faded quickly from the car and back to his journey. He faced towards he light and realized, in horror, where it was coming from. _Oh, shit! Mom! _His mind raced as his stomach did flip-flops. _City Hall…it's coming from City Hall…_Zack started running towards the building.

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Rita stood in the middle of a glowing circle. Intricate lines ran through it and glowed as well. Atop the roof was the best view of the sun, which was still blackened.

Rita cackled evilly as her minions drew near. "The time has finally come! Finster! Where is the new monster?"

"Baboo and Squatt have returned from South Africa with it...however, it needs energy!" Finster said.

"Giving it energy won't be a problem now that the sun is blocked!" Rita grinned happily. "And now for my spell!" Rita began chanting in a language that was foreign to this world.

The building began to grow brighter than it had before. The surrounding people would've have had to shield their eyes, had they still been people. Several of the surrounding buildings were knocked over as the Earth began to shake and something, looking quite like an orange ball, began to rise from the ground.

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Eye Guy looked outward on the city. Its interest had been peaked by the intense light coming from one of the buildings marked as "City Hall". In a flash of motion he teleported himself and was standing outside of it. The mob of the not-really-living-but-not-quite-dead paid him no mind.

"I can feel those twats. And…something else. The energy here is outstanding," Eye Guy breathed in deeply, absorbing the energy in the air through its lungs. He somehow knew this was the center of everything. His instincts told him to run to avoid destruction and yet to stay if he wanted supreme power.

A sudden extreme flash of pain flooded his body as a pink blur whipped on by, followed quickly by a red one.

"Fuck you, pink eye!" Kimberly shouted as she shot another arrow.

With the mere power of a thought, Eye Guy sent the arrow spiraling back toward Kimberly. "Balls!" Kimberly shouted as she was tossed on her backside.

"Kimber-" Jason's cry was cut short as he was delivered an uppercut and then slammed into the ground with a sickening thud.

"Time to send you back to Valhalla," Eye Guy shouted as he lifted a piece of rubble into the air, using just the power of his mind. Jason's eyes widened as he watched the piece of concrete floating above him. _Oh God, this is it. This is the end. Goodbye Kimberly, Billy, Zack, Rocky and…Asian chick. Fuck you, mom and dad. _Unable to move, Jason screamed as it dropped.

A quick flash of light and only pebbles hit him. Kimberly stood proudly, her Blade Blaster clutched firmly in her hands. "Time to send you to Hades!" she shouted as she unleashed a volley of blasts, which, sadly, were only sent back her way at an alarming speed.

"Oh, shit!" Kimberly clamped her eyes shut and braced herself for the pain. None came. After a moment she opened her eyes and saw Billy in front of her, his Power Lance deflecting the blasts sporadically.

"I'm gonna ignore the fact that you made Greek reference to counter his Norse one and help you out," Billy quipped.

"Stop being an ass and help me kill this fuck!" Kimberly shouted.

"On it," Trini shouted after helping Jason to his feet.

The four readied themselves for battle.

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Zack, now de-morphed, ran into City Hall in a panic. "Mom?" he shouted. Mentally face-palming at the thought that there might be a million women here go by 'mom'. "Darlene Taylor?" his voice echoed around the main hall. The hopelessness that inherited it was overwhelming.

A creaking sound flooded the room followed by a flush of shadows. The sound of feet sluggishly moving and the smell of rotten flesh permeated the air. "Shit."

Zack realized an army of zombies was quickly surrounding him. Before any chance of escape was annihilated, he bolted out the door and onto the street only to be confronted by a squadron of Putties.

"Oh, this is some fucked up shit!" Zack clutched his Power Morpher fiercely, "Mastodon!" he cried out and was quickly transformed into the Black Ranger.

_Gotta think quick! I'm stuck in this muthafucka place surrounded by these muthafuckin' monsters. Dis is bullshit!_

A cry in the distance shook Zack from his thoughts. _Is someone alive?_ He frantically sprinted in that direction knocking over a few Putties and a handful of the Living Dead. Finally, he arrived in the front of City Hall.

"Guys!" he shouted in dismay at the sight of his teammates respectively getting the shit beaten out of them was displayed before his eyes. "Power Axe!" he cried and charged at Eye Guy.

A bright light temporarily blinded the Black Ranger, which was quickly followed be a searing, painful heat burning his chest that knocked Zack backward and forced him to be close friends with the ground. "Shit, this sucks," Zack groaned.

"Stop stating the fucking obvious," Kimberly said as she and the other Rangers drew around him.

"Time to finish you cunts," Eye Guy growled as he began to glow a deep green. He growled and spread his arms out.

The Rangers watched in horror as the seemingly indestructible monster metastasized.

"We need Dinozord power now!" Trini looked at her teammates for reassurance, "right?"

"Right!" Kimberly shouted.

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Rita watched the battle rage in extreme dismay, the orange sphere casting light onto her face. She wanted to see the Power Rangers destroyed, but she wanted to be the one to do it and it currently seemed like it was going to be Eye Guy who would take the glory. Unsettled by this fact, Rita's blood began to boil. "That cunt is getting too strong!" She raised her wand and shot a blast of magical energy at Eye Guy.

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Eye Guy screamed in horror and pain as a few of his eyes popped while others oozed puss and blood.

"This is our chance!" Billy screeched.

"Initiate Power Sword, now!" Trini screamed frantically.

"Get ready!" Kimberly commanded as the Megazord gripped the sword.

"Attack!" Jason shouted and the blade made contact with Eye Guy, knocking him over and cutting off a few more of his eyes.

The gang breathed heavily, a wave of shock moving through them. Disbelief, relief and shock and still an over-hanging sense of dread, these were all the things they felt. The air was heavy.

"Is it dead?" Trini asked meekly.

Billy observed the felled creature for a few moments. "We should hit it again, just to make sure."

"Look!" Trini pointed to the orange ball in the sky. "Something's coming out of it!"

"It's another Megazord!" Billy admonished.

"Is it on our side? Oh, my God, what if it's evil? What if it's here to kill us? What if-"

"Calm down, we don't even know if it's-" Jason was cut off as the Megazord received a heavy attack to it's chest-plate. "Nevermind. Kill it!"

"What the fuck!" Zack slammed his fist onto the control panel. "Do we ever get a fucking break? It's just one battle after another!"

A voice broke over the intercom system, "Rangers! Meet Cyclopsus."

"I know that voice!" Zack said, "it's that monkey with the shit-covered tail!"

"This will be your undoing," Goldar grunted. "And just to show you how powerful it truly is…" A high-powered beam shot out of Cyclopsus's eye.

"Prepare for impact!" Jason screamed. "Shields up!"

"Wait, it's not headed for us!" Kimberly screamed.

The Rangers watched in horror as the beam hit Eye Guy and caused what was left of him to disintegrate.

"There's nothing left!" Kimberly said, her voice shaky.

A stunned silence befell the Rangers. The air seemed thick and greasy to Kimberly, making her dizzy and nauseous. She braced herself against the control panel.

Suddenly, the Megazord shook.

"What the fuck!" Zack swore.

"It's Scorpina!" Billy said after spinning the mechanical contraption around.

"Fire the lasers!" Zack commanded. The attack was ultimately futile as Scorpina just absorbed a majority of them while the rest were sent hurtingly back at the Megazord.

"Shields up!" Jason commanded. The shields energized, and not a moment too soon as another unexpected blast came from above.

"What the fuck is that?" Zack was becoming frantic.

"It's a floating fucking head!" Kimberly said, the cussing was obviously infectious.

"Like Zordon?" Billy asked.

"I will kill you all!" the head said before firing lasers from its eyes.

"Does Zordon hit us?" Jason asked sardonically.

"Only when I'm bad,' Trini quipped. The team stared at her in stunned silence. "What?" she exclaimed, "I'm just trying to lighten the mood and avert our minds from our oncoming deaths."

"We just can't win," Kimberly's voice was a smooth monotone moments before the blasts struck.

"I fucking hate you all," Zack groaned.

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Rita grinned in delight. Fully content with herself that one of her plans was finally coming to fruition. With both Cyclopsus and Lokar on the scene the Rangers were truly finished this time and Scorpina was just the icing on the cake.

"Ah, Lokar, my brother," Rita sighed happily, "it has been too long."

"Yes, my darling little sister," Lokar's voice hummed back at her, "but there is time for talking later, right now we have some Rangers to kill."

"Then let's get to it!" Rita shouted triumphantly, adrenaline building in her blood.

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"Power is running!" Jason screamed.

"Mobility low!" Billy chimed.

"Fuck! We can't take much more of this," Kimberly was fretting now. "One more good blow and we're done."

"Guys," Trini's voice was nervous and small, "I think we need to retreat and figure out a new plan."

The Megazord shook as Cyclopsus once again struck it.

"Shit, guys, it's time to go!" Billy said through gritted teeth.

"It's not responding!" Kimberly was frantic.

"We gotta get out of here, abandon ship!" Trini shouted before prompting the control panel to teleport them to the command center.

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The Rangers stood in the darkened command center, lit only by the light on their helmets, which were strategically placed around the room. Kimberly was on the floor in the fetal position, a deep feeling of despair taking root in her stomach. "What do we do?" her voice was small and frail, child-like in its innocence.

"We need a better plan before those bitches destroy everything," Zack sighed. "Man, this has just not been my day."

"At least we got Eye Guy, huh?" Kimberly smiled weakly.

"There was no "we" in that equation, it was Rita and that…that…_thing_!" Zack spit out the word in disgust.

"I was just trying to be positive," Kimberly lowered her head in defeat, deeply hurt from his harsh words.

"I have an idea," Trini said, "throughout this whole fight the monsters have just been deflecting and absorbing our attacks, yes?" She looked around for confirmation and to make sure she had the attention of her comrades. "What if…what if we fed them bad energy?"

"How would we find them 'bad energy'?" Zack asked, looking up from her place on the floor.

"If you haven't noticed there is no solar energy, maybe negative energy is what these monsters need," Trini mused.

Zack seemed to snap at this, "don't they _thrive_ on negative energy? You would think it's the _sun_ that makes them weak!" His rage had subsided at this point, oddly enough. "After all, they did block it out so they could come here."

"Exactly," Trini sighed but immediately perked up, "but isn't our Power Sword full of solar energy? If we blast them with the energy in our sword, we can win!"

"It is! But the Zords only have enough power left for…maybe ten minutes," Billy slumped, feeling quite defeated.

"Well, if we use the Power Sword's energy, we should be okay, but we only have enough of that to destroy one monster. We have _three_ fucking monsters!" Zack said.

"We're screwed," Jason's voice was flat. A dead chill fell over the Rangers as they heard their leader say those cold words. All hope seemed to extinguish then. If Jason had given up, why shouldn't the rest of them?

_No! I won't give up!_ Kimberly's mind screamed.

_I gotta keep fighting._ Zack sighed. His eyes went wide when he thought of something. Something that was just crazy enough to maybe only get two of them killed. "We'll only use the energy on the other Megazord then, for Scorpina, we can just use simple fighting maneuvers. We've beaten her with that before."

Kimberly finally spoke up, "How about this: instead of going for the three monsters, we attack Rita? That's where their power comes from."

"How about," Jason began, his voice beginning to fill with new hope, "how about half the team pilot the Megazord and the other half goes after Rita?"

The team stood silent for a second. They had sworn never to attack, just defend but…_desperate times call for desperate measures,_ Billy thought. "Trini and I will pilot the Zords... we know exactly what to do. The three of you will attack Rita."

"How do we get into City Hall, though? If you didn't notice during the fight, there was like a bazillion putties surrounding it," Kimberly said, feeling a ray of hope pierce her heart.

"We blast our way through those muthafuckas!" Zack shouted, grabbing his Power Axe and cocking it.

"Yeah, something like that," Billy mused. "Or we just use the Megazord to stomp on them."

"Team," Jason said, "I think we're ready for this. Be careful and try not to get deaded. I want everyone back alive." He smiled warmly at his teammates then set his face to a grin. "Now, let's go kick some monster ass!"

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The Rangers materialized right into the thick of things. Immediately Zack and Kimberly began blasting the Putties with their respective weapons while Jason try to secure a path.

"Die, muthafuckas!" Zack screamed while shooting more Putties down.

"Take to the sewers!" Jason commanded as he lifted the sewer grate.

"We need Dinozord Power now!" Trini and Billy called in unison.

In a flash the Megazord was composed and in tank form. "Alright, if we switch modes quickly enough, we'll be able to get this over with faster," Trini's voice oozed confidence.

"Right!" Billy agreed and hastily switched to battle mode.

"Wait…" Trini gritted her teeth.

"For?" Billy asked.

Trini watched Cyclopsus charging up for its attack. "Just wait."

A beam of light shot from Cyclopsus' and traveled at lightning speed at the Megazord. "Now!" Trini said, and pushed in the control sequence to make the Megazord jump out of the way. Landing a few yards away, the Zord turned around to see that the blast of energy had struck Scorpina.

"Oh, God, it got her!" Trini gasped.

A roar was heard over the intercom as Scorpina's body turned to dust. "Wait, he's distracted! Do it now!"

"Initiate Power Sword!" both Rangers called. "Attack!" the sword struck swiftly and violently through Cyclopsus' mid-section.

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"No!" Rita screeched. Raising her wand, she chanted in Latin until a green beam of energy flowed from her wand to the floating head in the sky. "Lokar, finish those cunts off!"

"As you wish, my dear sister," Lokar's voice radiated through the dead fleshy ears of the city's residents.

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Kimberly, from the second floor of City Hall, watched in shock and horror as the floating head effectively took down the Megazord in one hit. "Oh God, no," her voice was small, "let them be all right."

"Kimberly!" Jason shouted, "we need to keep moving!"

"But," Kimberly gasped, "the Megazord collapsed!"

"There's no time now!" Zack said, sadness tinting his voice, "we need to carry on our mission and just hope to God they're all right."

Jason felt the world slipping away from him. A knot was growing in his stomach. He gulped, swallowing his emotions. He had to be strong for the others. Shaking his head, he ran out the front door into the swarm of putties.

"Jason!" Zack shouted.

Kimberly breathed heavily, her emotions spiraling out of control. Her face was hot and helmet was drenched in sweat and tears. She held back a sob while trying to compose her self.

"Kim, let's go," Zack said softly, "we need to stop Rita or else they died-"

"They didn't die!" Kimberly screeched.

"Whatever, we have to keep going!" Zack insisted.

Jason returned inside, slamming the door shut behind him. "It's not use, we're surrounded. The only way to go is up."

"Right," Zack sighed. He glanced at Kimberly and sighed again. _Her hands are shaking._ "Kim, you okay?"

Ignoring him, Kimberly approached the elevators and pushed the call button. And pushed it again. And then once more. "The powers out, of course they're not working," she let out an aggravated sigh.

"We'll need to use the stairs!" Zack said. A swarm of, what shall be from now referred to as "zombies", swarmed forward and grabbed.

"Zack!" Jason yelled and dove in there, throwing the decaying corpses left and right.

"Don't hurt them, Jason!" Kimberly sobbed, "they're still people….and might be again after the spell is broken!"

"I'm not killing them," Zack grunted as he shoved one more down the stairs, "merely hitting them." A loud crack was heard. "Shit," Zack said realizing he had hit one a little too hard and snapped its neck. Horror set it. _I've killed somebody. Oh Lord, help me, I've killed somebody._

"Zack!" Kimberly screeched, "pay attention!"

"But I-"

"Worry about that later!" Jason had made his way to the top floor, "we gotta stop Rita, _now!_"

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Zack, Kimberly and Jason finally reached the top of the stairs. They could hear the clunking and shuffling of the monsters above them. "Oh God, this is it," Kimberly fretted.

"Yeah," Kimberly sighed, "it…"

"We gotta keep…" Jason stopped. His breath hitching in his throat.

"What?" Kimberly said, scanning the room and finally seeing what made him stop.

"Guys, I'm in the dark here," Zack said, "what's going on."

"Jason's brother…"

"Justin?" Jason walked toward him, his arms outstretched. "Justin, I-"

"Rawr!" Justin launched his small frame at him.

"Jason watch out!" Kimberly shouted.

"Move!" Zack shouted.

In a flash, all three were standing on the fire escape that would lead them up to the roof.

"Take a deep breath," Jason said to his allies, "and if we die here, I just want you to know…I fucking hate you all."

"We love you too, fagboy," Zack laughed.

"Don't speak for me," Kimberly said coldly. "Love you Jase!"

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"Stop right there!" Goldar pointed his sword at the Power Rangers. Baboo, Squatt and Finster stood on either side of him, all three brandishing swords, but neither looking too confident.

"Eat my Power Lead!" Jason shouted and fired multiples round with his Blade Blaster at Goldar.

The gold monkey, being as quick as he was, dodged every shot. "You can't get me with that, Power Fucker!"

With a grunt, Goldar slashed Jason with his sword. Jason groaned as he felt the sword connect with his chest. Thankfully, the Power Suit took the physical damage for him, but he still felt the pain. Kimberly rushed to his side, "Jason, be strong!"

"Ahh," a raspy voice said, "Power Rangers. We finally meet…in person."

"Power Axe!" Zack cried and rushed her. He swung, she ducked, he punched, she blocked. He swung again and his axe met her wand, a barrage of sparks filled the air but neither weapon was phased.

"Eleka Namen!" she shouted and Zack found himself in the air, his friends and the world, seeming as if they were miles below him. He felt himself falling. His stomach doing flips. "Shit!" he hit solid concrete.

"Zack!" Kimberly screamed but could only watch in horror as her friend was thrown onto another rooftop.

"Quiet!" Rita screeched and sent Kimberly flying to the other side of the roof.

"You bitch!" Jason screamed. "Power Sword!" A blast of pure energy knocked the wind out of him and sent him in Zack's shoes, flying off the roof.

Kimberly backed herself into a corner and clutched the Power Bow tight to her bosom. "Rita, you better give up!" her voice was weak and shaking. "'Cause we're the Power Rangers and we will beat you."

""We'? I only see a you," Rita snarled.

"Right, well, I…uh, that is, I can still beat you!" Kimberly tried to sound confident, but even she couldn't lie to herself. Her hands were shaking, her mouth was dry and her stomach muscles were clenching. Nervously, she raised the Power Bow.

"That won't do you any good, my dear Kimmy," Rita hissed.

"How did you know-"

"I know everything about you. I know how much you rely on your pathetic friends, your parents...but look around you. You are all alone. Your friends and parents are gone, they died," Rita smiled wickedly.

Kimberly clutched the bow tightly and aimed at Rita, who was egging her on. Suddenly, she had an idea. She aimed up, up, up..until she was aiming directly at the floating head in the sky.

"What are you doing?" Rita screeched in surprise.

And shot the arrow.

At first, nothing happened. _Maybe I missed? Maybe I wasn't the right choice to be the Pink Ranger._ But suddenly, cracks began to form and light began to shine through.

"Lokar! No!" Rita screamed. Her rage was slowly building as she watched her brother's demise. "My brother," Rita seethed, "he's dead. And it's your fault!" She pointed her wand and Kimberly and shouted, "_Crucio_!"

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Sunshine rained down on the Earth's populace, restoring its inhabitants to their normal selves. People poured out onto the streets around the fallen Megazord. Their voices began to rise. Many questions were asked wondering what had happened. Was it safe now?

"Trini! Billy!" Jason and Zack called out for his fallen teammates, the damage received having caused them to become unmorphed.

"We're okay!" Trini stumbled away from the wreckage of the Megazord, seemingly having slipped into the crowd with little effort alongside Billy.

"You two look like shit," Zack mused, "thank God you're alive!"

"No time for small talk," Jason commanded, "we need to get back up top!"

A hush spread through the crowd as screams were head across the city.

"Shit, Kimberly!" Trini gasped.

The four civilian-looking Rangers ran toward City Hall, making it there in seconds. Wreckage of some unknown kind blocked the main entrance. "Fuck!" Zack shouted.

"The sewers!" Trini suggested, but closed the manhole as soon as she opened it. "Putties. Lots of them. Too many to fight."

"Now what?" Jason said, his hope fading again.

"I have no idea," Billy sighed.

"We've come this far, we can't stop now!"

A wave of despair hit them like a ton of bricks. Hopelessness crashed down on them mercilessly. "What do we do?" Jason said, exhaustion invading his voice.

"My wrist communicator just went off," Trini's eyes widened.

"What? Mine didn't," Zack mused but then looked at his. It had clearly been damaged in the fall, as well as Jason's and Billy's.

"Rangers, can you hear me?" a voice said through the communicator attached to Trini's wrist. "I am very proud of you, but there is no time to talk. My sensors indicate that Kimberly is facing Rita by herself. The sunlight weakens Rita's powers, but she still is no match. Put your hands together and pull them apart to send call forth your Power Crystals. Use these to send her your energy."

"Okay," Billy said and put his hands together, "Blue Power Crystal!" He took them apart and found a crystal in his hands. His teammates soon followed suit.

"Now, focus your minds on Kimberly and she will have the energy," Zordon commanded.

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"What the hell is this?" Rita said, not believing her eyes.

Kimberly's Power Suit had someone changed colors. Now, instead of just pink, her suit incorporated all the other Ranger's colors. Blue, Red, Black, Pink and Yellow were all perfectly harmonized. "I feel better now," Kimberly said coolly and fired an arrow at Rita.

Rita looked down, stunned that the arrow had actually penetrated the magic barriers she had put up. Her wand clattered to the ground as pain shot through her body. She clutched her hands over the arrow and pulled it out. "Uh oh," Rita groaned as blood poured from her abdomen. Her hands clutched over the wound but blood poured on through, seeping through her fingers and down her dress.

"Oh, my Empress!" Finster shouted as he ran to her aide.

Kimberly turned to the gaggle of monsters standing behind Rita and shot an arrow at each other them.

"Run away!" Squatt shouted before doing just that.

"Oh, where are you going! Get back!" Baboo's voice gave away his lack of caring at this point as he followed him.

Goldar deflected the arrow with a flick of his sword. "Is that all you go-" Boasting made him an easy target and another arrow found his chest.

"Kill shot," Kimberly mused and fired another arrow.

"Not today!" Rita grunted and used the last of her magical strength to teleport her and her crew back to their moon base.

"Damnit!" Kimberly said. The energy dissipated from her body and her suit returned to its normal pink flush. She looked around her and finally noticed the sun was out. "Oh God, it's been so long!"

She breathed in deeply before jumping off the roof to land in front of her comrades. Her Morpher finally gave out and she, once again, looked like a civilian. "That…was fucking crazy," Kimberly laughed and suddenly fainted.

"White bitch!" Zack shouted and caught her.

"Black friend!" Kimberly laughed hazily as she awoke in his arms.

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The Rangers were scattered around the Command Center, aloof in their composure. Kimberly was perched on a monitor, her body lazily slumped about her. Trini sat on the floor, leaning on Billy who was in turn leaning on her. Zack rested himself against the Viewing Globe's podium while Jason stood at attention in front of Zordon's glass tube.

"You all did very well," the floating head said, "and with time Angel Grove will restore itself and everything will be back to normal."

"And what about Rita?" Kimberly barely muttered.

"I wouldn't doubt it if we saw her again but it might be a while. I sense that she is weakened at this point," Zordon said.

"And our Zords?" Billy's eyes were plastered to the floor.

"Your Zords will need a break as well, but they will be fully functional when you need them once more," Alpha replied.

"Zordon, I tried to morph after we left town hall, you know, to help fight off the putties that were surrounded it and I couldn't do it. What the hell?" Jason's voice was tired but somehow awake.

"Your powers will be inactive until such time that they are needed again. The powers were activated to fight evil, now that evil is gone, if only temporarily, your powers are gone," Zordon sighed. "Rangers...go out, enjoy life. I shall call on you if and when Rita returns."

"Wait! So…that's it?" Jason shouted incredulously. "We spent six months fighting this cunt and now…what? 'So long, get lost'?"

"You do not wish to continue your regular, teenage lives?" Zordon said, his voice full of laughter.

"You call _this_ regular?" Trini scoffed.

"Zordon," Kimberly laughed, "we'll go on living but when the time comes, when the bitch is back, we'll be back too. We'll take her on ourselves. And this time…we'll win!"

"We won this time!" Zack shouted.

"We'll win_er_!" Kimberly grinned.

"I have faith in all of you," Zordon smiled. "Now get the hell out of here!"

"Ay yi yi! I know you'll win!"

"Billy," Trini said in a low, seductive voice, "it's time to go." She winked at him.

"You know... I never thought I'd ever say this but... I think I might miss being a Power Ranger," Jason smiled.

"Me too," Kimberly grinned back at him. "The energy and the power really makes up for the other crap that comes with it!"

"You mean life?" Jason laughed.

"I guess," Kim chuckled. "Hey! Where the hell did Trini and Billy go?"

"Brown chicken, brown cow," Zack said in a sing-song voice as he winked.

"Er…excuse me?" Kimberly said queasily.

"They be fuckin'," Zack slapped his palm to his face with a sigh.

"Gross!" Kimberly and Jason shouted in unison.

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"Oh, I have such a headache!" Rita groaned. "And a neck ache! And a stomach ache! And an everything ache!"

"Just relax, my Queen," Finster said in a low calming, soothing voice as he dressed her wounds.

"I JUST LOST THE GAME!" Rita shouted as she fell into a deep, healing slumber.


End file.
